PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – The Ministers of Justice and Tourism on St. Maarten have united in their condemnation of Wednesday night’s shooting incident involving a Canadian tourist vacationing on St. Maarten calling it “a senseless act of violence.
The two, Minister of Tourism Stuart Johnson and Justice Minister Cornelius De Weever, issued a press statement on Thursday evening joining the call by local authorities for the community at large to provide any information that would lead to the swift arrest of the perpetrator(s) of Wednesday heinous crime.
Minister De Weever says “The investigation of the events on June 5th, 2019 in the Beacon Hill area of St. Maarten continue with the highest level of priority from the Ministry of Justice. We fully intend to prosecute those responsible for this senseless act of violence and for compromising the peaceful and friendly nature of St. Maarten. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their family.”
In his response to the incident, Minister Johnson said, “My thoughts and prayers are with the relatives and friends of the victim.” He said, “This was a senseless act of violence perpetrated against another human being, which we will not tolerate. The people of our Country have always been friendly, hospitable and welcoming we will continue to keep these as our guiding principles. Meanwhile, as the details of this incident continue to unfold, we are working assiduously to ensure the perpetrators of this crime are brought to swift justice. Our home in St. Maarten is a haven for all to live and visit, and we take seriously any acts of violence.”
The male victim was walking through the Beacon Hill area with a member of his family, when unknown assailants in what police believe to be an armed robbery, approached them.
“This isolated incident saddens us, and we, as the representatives of St. Maarten’s tourism sector are dedicated—together with the Ministry of Justice and the private sector—to do everything in our power to find this assailant and bring him to justice,” said St. Maarten Director of Tourism May-Ling Chun.
Police are asking for the assistance of members of the community who may have been in the area of the incident in Beacon Hill around 11:00 pm to contact the Robbery Department +1721-556-7498.
