Former PM concerned over businessmen killings in St Kitts and Nevis

The killing of Benjamin Joseph has raised concerned that businessmen are being targeted, the former prime minister of St Kitts and Nevis has said.

Joseph, a 63-year-old Nevis guest house owner, was gunned down outside his home in Pinney’s Beach on Saturday night.

After being taken to Alexandra Hospital in a critical condition, he succumbed to his injuries on Monday morning.

WIC News understands that this latest killing is the fourth businessman to be slain during 2017.

This is out of a total of 30 reported murders across the federation so far this year – the same number as over all 12 months of 2016.

Denzil Douglas, the leader of the opposition and prime minister of St Kitts and Nevis between 1995 and 2015, expressed sympathy with Benjamin Joseph’s family.

“Crime is still the number one social issue that confronts us here in St. Kitts and Nevis. It is indeed painful,” he said.

[caption id="attachment_2521" align="alignright" width="300"] Denzil Douglas, leader of the opposition and former prime minister.[/caption]

“Apart from the young people who are involved in gun violence and are the victims of gun violence, we see a very disturbing trend where businessmen are now becoming targets and victims in this ongoing, unprecedented high crime rate.”

According to statistics, six people in the world of business – one women and five men – were murdered last year.

The government of St Kitts and Nevis are yet to comment to the latest incident.