Hippolyte, PM Denounce Soufriere Killing, Stress Value of Life

Soufriere/Fond St Jacques MP Emma Hippolyte has called for a renewed focus on the sanctity of life, following the fatal shooting of 27-year-old Hank Monrose in Soufriere last night, while Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre has condemned the violent incident. Police have confirmed that Monrose, a resident of Palmiste, Soufriere, was pronounced dead at the Soufriere Hospital where he was taken after being shot at Lenny’s Hill, Soufriere. Speaking at a pre-Cabinet press briefing on Monday, Hippolyte urged Saint Lucians to prioritise the value of life and guide young people away from violent behaviour. “I want to take this moment again to speak to our community of Saint Lucia because the issue of the sanctity of life is an issue that we have to speak about,” she said.  “I am speaking not just as a parliamentary rep but as a senior person in our community—all of us must speak to our young persons about the way they manage themselves and the fact that they just don’t seem to understand what life is.” Prime Minister Pierre, also commenting on the killing, expressed zero tolerance for gun violence: “I make no excuses for this, absolutely no excuses.” Investigations into Monrose’s death are...