July 21 (UPI) -- Authorities in St. Vincent and the Grenadines are investigating a mass shooting that left five people dead this week in the Caribbean nation's capital of Kingstown.
Local police said that officers responded to calls of a shooting in the Harbor Club area of Kingstown at about 8 p.m. Wednesday and found at the scene four people dead and a fifth wounded who was transported to a local hospital where they later died.
"Last night is a sobering reminder that an attack of this nature, regardless of the persons targeted, is an attack on all of us, an attack on our common values and an attack on what is meant and what it means to be a part of St. Vincent and the Grenadines," Acting Prime Minister Montgomery Daniel said during a Thursday press conference.
The deceased were identified by Police Commissioner Colin John of the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force as Lamont Hector, Donje Hillocks, Jamal Bobb, Ricky Taylor and 13-year-old student Kashie Primus.
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At least one person injured in the shooting remained hospitalized.
The shooting and its cause are under investigation, and John said that the police have received information about possible reprisals.
"That is something that we are taking very serious. And we are also taking this shooting, these fatalities very seriously as we do with every crime, especially serious crimes," he said.
Daniel added that while the investigation was in its infancy, they will work to find those responsible.
"We are still gathering all of the facts. The police are still in the early phases of their investigations," he said. "In the coming days we will uncovered the reasons and persons behind these barbaric acts and we will follow the facts wherever they lead."
He said among those killed are people who had survived previous attempts on their lives.
Authorities are asking for the public's help and for anyone with information about the shooting to contact them immediately.
"All law enforcement will be robust, engaged and proactive in their handling of this outbreak. The police and all border control personal have been put on high alert. However, make no mistake, the police cannot act alone in this endeavor," he said.
