Elford St. Luce (inset) was shot at this food shop on St. Louis Street, Castries on Wednesday morning, May 30, 2018.
(SNO) – The girlfriend and business partner of a man who was shot in the face at their food shop in Castries on Wednesday, May 30, 2018, during an armed robbery, has said the incident will not deter her from doing business at the same location.
An unmasked gunman shot Elford St. Luce, 44, also known as “Cax”, in the face moments after robbing his partner, Denise Edward, according to relatives of the victim and law enforcement sources.
The incident occurred around 5 a.m. at the first food shop at the back of the Castries City Council building, near the Ciceron bus stop.
“He took the money that was in the drawer,” Edward told HTS. “That was more important to him than people life, so that’s what he wanted. He just… put his gun in my face. He tell me open the safe, I tell him I don’t have no safe. What safe he want. I opened the draw. He take the money that was in the draw. He tell me, ‘where the rest, where the rest’. I took out the container. I told him that’s all they have there. Time I turn my back I just hear “bow!” and he shoot him (Elford St. Luce) in his face, it come out through his neck.”
St. Luce was admitted at Victoria Hospital in stable condition. His wound is reportedly not life-threatening.
A law enforcement source said about EC$100 was taken in the armed robbery but could not provide a breakdown of the money in coins and dollars, while a source close to the family told our newsroom that most, if not all, of the money stolen was in coins.
But Edward, in an interview with HTS, had a message for the criminals.
She said: “What I want to tell these people out there, they will do that and they will not stop. I will still keep on being in that shop at the same time. If they have to kill me, that’s where they going to come and kill me because people cannot be working so hard, you know, and you all just coming and just shoot innocent people just like that, for no reason. What reason? For penny, haypenny? And not to say is no big amount of money he get in the shop, you know.”
Edward said the persons committing such crimes should make better use of their time.
“Get a job, find something to do, make use of their time. Make use of their time. Just doh be shooting people out there for nothing. Innocent children passing. I was standing in my shop yesterday when the shooting occur yesterday, you know. And for me to see just around the corner for that to happen there. right there, just like that. It doh even have 24 hours yet. You know, is a shame for the young people right now.”
Edward was referring to Tuesday’s shooting in Castries where five people including a child was shot, and which resulted in one death.
Edward’s sister, Nadia Edward, also spoke to HTS. She told the television station that it is very hard to be greeted with violence while working for honest living.
“[It’s] very hard. It’s very hard,” Nadia said, “yes to see you get up early in the morning to do your daily bread, come and do your daily bread and that’s what… It’s very hard. I doh know why dem fellas there can’t try and go and look for their work to do. Just want to come and kill innocent people. People that working hard, very hard for their own living, and to come and, you know, try and, watch that, almost kill a man there.”
In an earlier report, a source close to St. Luce’s family told our newsroom that St. Luce was shot as the robber was making “his way out with coins”.
“The gunman entered on the female owner of the shop, demanding money at gun point. It’s when she screamed her boyfriend heard. He came running to check on her. The gunman, after only getting some coins from her, was running out. The two of them came face to face. He, the gunman, just shot Cax in the face. I guess to prevent the altercation cause Cax is a tall, buff man,” the source said.
No one has been arrested in connection with the incident.
At the time, St. Luce’s shooting was the third in less than 24 hours.
Around 9 p.m. Tuesday evening, Albert Antoine sustained a gunshot wound to his leg at Odlum City, Castries. He was transported by ambulance to Victoria Hospital in stable condition. The circumstances surrounding the shooting were not immediately available.
The other shooting occurred around 4 p.m. Tuesday when five people, including a child, sustained gunshot wounds. Police said a man identified as Elton Fontinelle sustained multiple gunshot wounds and died while the other four persons were hospitalised in stable condition.
One individual is in police custody in connection with the incident. The circumstances surrounding the incident is still not clear, though speculation is rife that the shooting stemmed from a feud between persons from Vieux Fort and Castries.
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