WILLEMSTAD–Four people were killed and six others injured in a Curaçao shooting on Monday night. The culprits were still at large on Tuesday afternoon.
The incident occurred during a birthday party for twins Luis Belen and Luis Jose Belen (both 22 that day) of the Dominican Republic at the empty building of the former “Toko Chow” on Jamaicaweg in Buena Vista. Unknown gunmen drove up in a dark green car and opened fire with automatic weapons on persons sitting in the balcony.
In addition to the brothers two others were shot dead, namely Ethly Albertus Jr. (27) and another as yet unidentified man. Six more men ages 26, 28, 31, 34, 50 and 52 suffered bullet wounds to several parts of their bodies and were rushed to the hospital.
Police later learned of a vehicle on fire at Shut that may have been used in the armed attack. It was confiscated for further investigation after fire-fighters had put out the blaze.
Close to 100 spent cartridges were found at the crime scene.
In March there was also a shooting at Berg Altena in which four people died. Already 20 people have been killed by violence on the island this year, compared to a total of 19 in 2016.
Curaçao police pay a lot of attention to gun control, but it’s an uphill battle, NOS correspondent Dick Drayer said. “The island is at the centre of drug trafficking between Colombia, Venezuela, the United States and Europe. In addition, youth unemployment is high and there are many dropouts. Whether this shooting is related to that is not yet clear, but that Curaçao has a problem is obvious.”
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/68358-update-four-shot-dead-at-party-on-curacao
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