A 16-year-old boy who was on bail for a shooting offence was killed Wednesday night while he was allegedly committing armed robbery a supermarket in Sutherlands.
According to reports, Tafari Joseph of Villa was transported to the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre around 10:15 pm with an apparent gunshot wound to the left side of his chest. He was later pronounced dead by a medical doctor.
According to reports, the teen was shot and killed by a licensed firearm holder from the Sutherlands community. Sources indicate that during the robbery, the masked young men escaped with the cash register before the teen was fatally shot.
Reports also indicate that the deceased was on bail for a shooting offence that occurred when he was 14 years old and was under a 6 pm curfew at the time of the incident.
Meanwhile, the teen’s death prompted discussion about youth violence at yesterday’s weekly post-Cabinet press briefing, where Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant addressed the nation’s concerns about rising violence among young people.
Speaking about the government’s response to rising youth violence, Merchant stressed that multiple ministries are implementing intervention strategies to address the root causes of violent behavior among young people.
“You would have noticed that the Prime Minister, a few months ago, made an intervention and that intervention has led to a number of young people being off the streets and attending a learning institution,” he said.
He further outlined several ongoing initiatives, noting that the Ministry of Social Transformation has been working with schools and churches, while the Ministry of Education has been developing programmes to ensure that violence is not the first choice to resolve issues.
When questioned about the effectiveness of the current 10pm curfew, Merchant defended the measure as part of a broader strategy that places responsibility on parents to actively engage with their children.
“The curfew also is seen as an intervention because it calls on parents to review their strategy and to take responsibility for their young ones,” he explained.
Merchant expressed particular concern about young people’s tendency to resort to violence as their primary conflict resolution method.
However, the Director General stressed that addressing youth violence cannot be solely a government responsibility, calling for collaborative efforts between authorities and families.
“The government is putting the responsibility back into the hands of parents to deal with the problems of our young people,” Merchant stated. “It cannot be a government alone problem. It must be a collaboration. It must be an amalgamation of ideas between government and the support of parents.”
Regarding Wednesday night’s incident, Merchant offered condolences to those affected while providing an update on the police investigation.
“Very unfortunate and we express our condolences,” he said. “Any life lost is significant. It is no matter what the circumstances are and we are to show some sense of support to individuals who are connected,” he added.
Police are appealing to anyone with information that may assist in the case to contact the Criminal Investigations Department at 462-3913 or Crime Stoppers at 800-TIPS (8477). All calls will be handled with strict confidentiality.
