A case in which four armed and masked assailants opened fire on a young man at Rey Hill, injuring him and causing damage to property, has angered police in Anguilla and the who are aggressively investigating the incident.

LtoR: Supt. R. Proctor, Sgt. Yearwood and Insp. Sinclair

The crime took place on Sunday, August 17 on the Rey Hill Road between 10 and 11 pm. The victim, Collin Morton, 22 of Cauls Bottom, sustained a gunshot wound to the upper back portion of his left thigh. He was detained at the Princess Alexandra Hospital but has now been released and is recuperating.
The police report indicated that at the time of the incident Morton was sitting on his car at Rey Hill next to a friend’s house when a vehicle drove up the road and stopped suddenly. “Four armed assailants, dressed in black clothing and wearing masks, exited the vehicle and opened fire on Morton, striking him on the left thigh. The vehicle on which he was sitting was also struck in several places by the bullets,” the report stated. “It was also reported that one of the bullets damaged the window of an apartment building in close proximity and also caused damage to a television set.”
There were some nine bullets discharged from different firearms.
“While there was no loss of life, this incident is a very serious one for the Royal Anguilla Police Force and as such we have deployed our resources to deal with it in a very aggressive and forceful way,” Superintendent Proctor told the media. “This type of behaviour is unacceptable.... It is unfortunate though that these serious incidents are occurring in our communities and our citizens are still living under the fear that it is unsafe to communicate with the police. If there is going to be a solution to these problems, part of that solution must include people coming forward to talk to the police…We know from our intelligence gathering after the incident that there are persons in the vicinity who would have seen something but there is still this reluctance on the part of citizens to come forward.”
Mr. Proctor went on: “We are appealing to people, as we have done in the press release, in that general vicinity on Rey Hill on the road running south from the water tank, to come forward. We are also calling anybody in the Rey Hill road, leading from the water tank going east, along that road, who would have seen any vehicles or persons running to come forward to the police. The young man involved in this incident is out of hospital now and is recuperating from his gunshot wound. We are continuing to work closely with him and the witnesses who have come forward thus far in trying to resolve this matter.”
The Police Superintendent expressed the view that Anguilla was still a safe place, but he warned that there was no place for complacency. “We have some youth in our midst who are inclined to criminal activity,” he said. “With lack of parental supervision, it appears that they are left unattended for long periods of time and have the time, capacity and will to want to inflict serious injury on each other. Our job has always been to ensure that the peace and tranquility of this island continues to exist and we are going to deploy the resources we have on hand and if necessary we will have to take very aggressive and robust action.”
Last lap Incidents
In reporting on follow-up events regarding the violence at the Last Lap of the carnival activities, Inspector Paul Sinclair reported that Rose Richardson of North Hill, who was struck on her head during the rock-throwing incident, was out of hospital and recovering well although her emotional scars were lingering on. He said the person responsible for inflicting the injury had been arrested and currently on remand at the prison.
He stated that the police were also continuing to seek the other persons involved in the disorder. As a result, Ikinba Gumbs of The Valley was arrested and charged with a public disorder offence and was sentenced to sixty days imprisonment in the Magistrate’s Court.
Meanwhile, Superintendent Proctor said that a number of persons were arrested and appeared before the court; some had been convicted and fined and others imprisoned while a few have been placed on probation. Some matters are still pending as investigations continue.
He added that the murder investigation is also in progress. “We are getting at the stage of having our forensic evidence ready for laboratory analysis,” he stated, calling on persons with information to report to the police.
The murdered victim, who was stabbed and died later at the hospital was 19-year-olds Orlando Johnson of Cedar Village, North Side. Brandon Romney of Blowing Point has been charged with the murder and remanded in prison.
General Police Report
In the general police briefing on various incidents on the island, Sergeant Randolph Yearwood reported that eight persons were arrested during the period August 13-20. Five were to prevent a breach of the peace; two for theft and one for disorderly conduct.
There were three burglaries at Stoney Ground, The Valley and West End. Items stolen included a DVD player, a fan, a bag containing documents including a driver’s licence; two electric saws, two jack hammers, a grinder, an electric screw driver, a welding plant and two portable drills.
Five thefts were reported in The Valley, The Farrington, Stoney Ground, Sandy Hill and Roaches Hill. Among the stolen items were a water pump and pressure tank, a filter, one door, a bundle of plywood, an MP3 player and 436 US dollars. The money was eventually recovered by the complainant who requested no further police action.
There was one case of attempted murder, two cases of taking a conveyance, and one case of sexual molestation of an animal is under investigation. There were four cases of criminal damage to vehicles and residential property.

Eight traffic accidents, all of a minor nature, were also reported.

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