Police Commissioner Vernon Francois (inset) said: “We gathered our intelligence, we worked with informants, and we identified the gang members in the Morne Du Don area.” Marvin Gabriel was one of several members nabbed by cops in connection with violence in Castries.
The works of a deadly Morne Du Don gang which has wreaked havoc in several Castries communities between late 2013 and early this year with a series of murders and shootings have been disrupted – for now.
About 10 men including the gang’s leader are now behind bars, Police Commissioner Vernon Francois announced during a press conference on Wednesday, Feb. 12.
He credited intelligence-policing to the success of nabbing the gangsters.
“We also heavily focused during last year on intelligence-driven policing. And one fine example of that towards the end of the year and early into this year, was our work in the Morne Du Don community. We had a series of murders and shootings in the Morne Du Don, Bois Patat, New Village, Forgotten Boundary… and based on our effort, which was done in a targeted way; we didn’t do any big deal, big operation and have police vehicles blocking the road and all these things kind of things.
“What we did,” the commissioner further explained, “we did a proper target package. We gathered our intelligence, we worked with informants, and we identified the gang members in the Morne Du Don area. At the moment, including the leader of the Morne Du Don gang, we have about 10 of them on remand at Bordelais at the moment for various charges: murder and attempted murder and a series of other charges.”
But the top cop said the problem in Morne Du Don is “far from solved”.
We have not solved the problem completely because obviously one incident can spark it off all over but we are comfortable that we are headed in a right direction in terms of dealing with the probems in the Morne Du Don area,” he said.
Below are violent incidents that have taken place in areas in Morne Du Don/Bois Patat and New Village, Castries between late 2013 and 2014. Some incidents have gone unreported to the police as well as the media.
August 27, 2013: 45-year-old Eldon Simon aka Kay Lay Lay of Bois Patat, Castries sustained gunshot wound (s) to the lower part of the body Tuesday morning.
Sept. 5, 2013: 27-year-old Shem Peter, also known as Papa of Blackstars, Morne Du Don was shot multiple times as he sat on a step in the vicinity of his home about 9 pm.
Sept. 5, 2013: St. Lucia News Online understands that shortly after police left the scene of Shem Peter’s homicide, an attack involving gas bombs and gun shots, were directed at the house of the man who was with Peter when he was attacked. He escaped.
Sept. 8, 2013: About 11 a.m. gunmen fired shots at a man while he was riding his bike.
Nov. 13, 2013: Suzanna Cooper of New Village, Castries sustained gunshot wounds to the shoulder and forearm after shots were fired in the area of the Morne Du Don School about 6 pm.
Dec. 12, 2013: 45-year-old Darius Charlery of Forgotten Boundary sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the upper part of his body by a masked man, while he sat on a step near his home.
Dec. 18, 2013: Malice Toussaint was shot and injured by an unknown assailant while in his shop at Odlum City.
Dec. 29, 2013: A man known as Bage was shot and injured in Morne Du Don about 11:30 am.
Jan. 2, 2014: 27-year-old Joel Nobal, otherwise called “Wells” and “Willie”, of New Village Castries became the first homicide victim of 2014 when he was shot in the head while sitting in a shed in New Village. “Subsequent to that incident, several shots were fired at a police officer who was in the vicinity of New Village,” police said in a press release.
Jan. 13, 2014: 27-year-old Barney Isidore of Arundel Hill, Marchand sustained a gunshot wound to the face whilst standing in the community of New Village about 7:15 p.m. “Reports indicate that an unknown male walked up to the victim and discharged a firearm in his direction hitting him in the face. Barney was transported to Victoria Hospital where he was treated and admitted in a stable condition,” police said in a press release.
Jan. 13, 2014: Yannick Mathurin of Arundel Hill was shot in the head at New Village, Castries. He survived.
Jan. 19, 2014: Kevin Anatole, 20, of Morne Du Don, Castries was hospitalised for multiple gunshot wounds after a gang of about eight masked gunmen invaded a section of Morne Du Don/Bois Patat, Castries. Police suggested in a press release that Anatole was the target. “It is alleged that several armed and masked men walked up to Anatole and fired several shots in his direction hitting him in the head and chest,” the police statement said, adding that Anatole was at a friend’s house when he was shot.
Jan. 22, 2014: Six individuals were arrested for firearm-related offences as a result of a police joint operation in Odlum City, Morne Du Don. A police press release stated that the operation, which involved officers attached to the Criminal Investigations Department and the Special Services Unit, led to the recovery of a .380 pistol along with 13 live rounds of ammunition.
Jan. 24, 2014: Marvin Gabriel, a man who has been arrested for a string of violent offences, was one of three individuals charged in connection to a recent Morne Du Don, Castries shooting. Gabriel, Adrian Sonny, aka Zebbi and Marlon Joseph, aka Tis, were all charged for attempted murder on Kervin Anatole who was shot in the head on January 19, 2014. The men appeared before a magistrate on Monday, January 27, 2013 and were remanded into custody. Gabriel also faces an attempted murder charge for the alleged shooting of Yannick Mathurin of Arundel Hill at New Village, Castries on January 13, 2014. Mathurin was shot in the head. Further, Gabriel was charged for a robbery on Tennyson Lionel, which occurred on Jeremie Street on Saturday, January 11, 2014 at about 9 p.m. Last September, police issued a ‘wanted’ press release and photo of Gabriel who was accused of shooting 45-year-old Eldon Simon, aka Kay Lay Lay of Bois Patat, Castries at about 6:30 am on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2013. Gabriel, accompanied by his lawyer, had later surrendered to police. Meanwhile, Sonny, one of the defendants with whom he was charged on Monday, was jointly charged on Friday January 24, 2014 with Chessy Seal for possession of a .380mm semi-automatic pistol and 13 rounds of ammunition.
Feb. 5, 2014: 25-year-old Lawrence Jermaine Joseph, aka Problems, of Bois Patat, Castries was shot by police during an operation in New Village, Castries. Joseph, who was wanted for attempted murder and robbery, sustained a gunshot wound to the leg area. “A .380 pistol containing eight rounds of ammunition was also recovered on his person,” police said in a press release.