BVI News

More people coming forward to assist with Fish Bay murder

A section of the main island of Tortola. (Photo by Davion Smith/BVI News)

It seems more residents are determined to break the culture of silence that surrounds crime in the community as more individuals are presenting information to assist the cops with investigating the murder of Deverson Williams.

The police often bemoan the BVI public’s unwillingness to offer information that can assist with solving murder cases.

But according to Police Commissioner Michael Matthews, the cooperation from the public after this week’s murder shows that people are beginning to understand the part they play in keeping the community violence-free.

“The good news is that more people are coming forward and we do have people who have been helping us since Tuesday to try and help us piece together those dreadful events. So I’m keeping a positive outlook on this and I do feel that people are understanding that they need to support and work with us,” Commissioner Matthews said.

He added: “We cannot do this alone. I’ve said this many times since I’ve been Commissioner of Police — we have to have the public’s support and you cannot keep turning your back on this saying it’s a police job to solve that crime. We can have all the modern technology, all the police officers in the world…if we haven’t got witnesses willing to come forward and say ‘I saw who did it’, then we’re going to be lost.”

There has been heightened fear in the community because of the three confirmed homicides and a few others of what the police describe as ‘unclassified deaths’. There has also been a series of armed robberies, burglaries, firearm-related offences and other serious crime.

Following the harrowing daylight murder of Williams on Tuesday, considerations are now being made to invite police officers from the United Kingdom (UK) to assist with this and other crimes.

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29 Comments

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  1. Strange says:

    Utter nonesense. Why this has to be news? Why the commissioner has to disclose information to identify witnesses at this time? Wait until the investigation is completed to the point where the culprit(s) are arrested.

    Given the gravity of the situation, a call should be made for witnesses to come forward but NO clues should be published that can lead to their identity.

    Like 76
    Dislike 4
    • SMH says:

      Putting People’s lives in danger not knowing who the criminal is. What kind of Policing is this by the C.O.P.? This is exactly why folks not assisting the Force with any type of investigations. The mere slackness and incompetence within this untrustworthy Force is really overbearing. The whole Force need transformation. Police Officers needs to be thoroughly vetted. I mean ALL Officers. One will only be mad and upset by these words if they guilty of corruption or illegal affairs. STOP identifying people who are risking their lives unkowningly giving information. Better still let the Police go do their JOB

      Like 19
      Dislike 2
    • one eye says:

      exactly … why is this even news ? this is crazy wow

      Like 10
      Dislike 2
  2. ? says:

    You are so right! When I was reading this I said the same thing. Came to comment and saw it there already.?

    Like 10
    Dislike 1
  3. Redshoes says:

    Should not say which car eyewitness was in wrong

    Like 8
    Dislike 1
  4. Get him says:

    Dogs…

  5. Bull shit says:

    Witness is the same one got caught with gun in house so guess that why gun charges on him go disappear wen there all in the crime …justice hmmmm

  6. well sah says:

    no wonder people scared to come forward.. people they trying to help selling them out.. if i had seen something i would keep my mouth shut before the put my name and vehicle in the spot light as well.. smh how stupid..

    Like 7
    Dislike 1
  7. Please remove story says:

    Please remove this story bvinews

    Like 12
    Dislike 1
  8. SMH says:

    Putting People’s lives in danger not knowing who the criminal is. What kind of Policing is this by the C.O.P.? This is exactly why folks not assisting the Force with any type of investigations. The mere slackness and incompetence within this untrustworthy Force is really overbearing. The whole Force need transformation. Police Officers needs to be thoroughly vetted. I mean ALL Officers. One will only be mad and upset by these words if they guilty of corruption or illegal affairs. STOP identifying people who are risking their lives unkowningly giving information. Better still let the Police go do their JOB

    Like 3
    Dislike 1
  9. Foolish says:

    That commissioner has to be the biggest i***t period. No wonder why people are reluctant to give evidence. And as for this publication it’s not EVERYTHING you all needs to be reporting on.

    Like 9
    Dislike 2
  10. Ijs says:

    Did i miss something in what was reported…they didn’t say who came forward they said people are coming forward to assist. So i don’t see how reporting this is putting people’s life in danger.IJS. I do however agree that things should not be said until the investigation is completed.

    Like 11
    Dislike 1
  11. Crazy police department says:

    These police investigating a dead man, and obsulutly know info on the shooters not the hit caller, these police is not protecting and serve, they’re greed and jealous, that’s why they be at certain individuals so hard, they don’t like to see poor people pickney doing good…

  12. Tola says:

    You need to remove this story. Think about what is being said and by you posting it,what you have done. This is so £¥€&ed up
    !

  13. @ijs says:

    I agree with your comment. All that was said is that the PUBLIC is cooperating more. No names were mentioned. I don’t think people ever really read anything. Apparently reading is not fundamental any longer.

    Like 2
    Dislike 1
    • This is not the original article says:

      They re-wrote the article. The commissioner said nothing about witnesses and BVI News took it upon themselves to write propaganda and post it as news. They had details there that they shouldn’t have had.

  14. sad says:

    you see why persons don’t come forward with information. this information should of been confidential and not public, come on, this is so sad to read.

  15. Anonymous says:

    That commissioner gon get people killed. There are persons that may have seen these killers but aren’t aware that they were by these killers minutes before the shootings. Now the killers will be paranoid and think that people may have saw more than they thought and come to clean up.

  16. Reality Check says:

    Why did the Police not stop traffic to keep those not involved from witnessing the crime scene. The fall-out from all of the families traveling through Fish Bay coming from school will be horrendous, when all the police had to do was stop traffic and send it back around East End or over the top. Shame on whomever was the senior officer for not protecting the public and the crime scene.

    Like 2
    Dislike 1
  17. sad says:

    you see why persons don’t come forward with information. this information should of been confidential and not public, come on, this is so sad to read. this piece of news shouldn’t be hitting the news sight. the police need to know what to put on the news and what to keep off the news. helllooooo come on officers, it’s time to wake up.

  18. West is best says:

    What they need to make public is y them slow the feds to come in a MURDER *** an no investigation into that that’s what they need to talk about

  19. Smith says:

    SMFH! How many people actually listend to the press conference or read this entire article before commenting?

  20. @ foolish says:

    IT HAS MORE SIDES TO IT ( DID HE CALL YOUR NAME OR ANYONE ELSE NAME ? iF IT WAS YOUR DAD OR YOUR BROTHER WOULD YOU BE TALKING LIKE THAT ? ( ON THE OTHER HAND IF THE TRIGGER MAN SAW SOMEONE WHO MIGHT HAVE RECOGNIZED THEM THAT COULD BE A DIFFERENT STORY AND THEN AGAIN HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT THE PERSON MAY BE TELLING THEMSELVES THAT THEY WILL HAVE TO TAKE YOU OUT ALSO BECAUSE YOU CAN INDENTIFY THEM

  21. Jonah says:

    No worries. They’ll get caught. Some rules don’t have to be broken. A shootout like that is calling for punishment and attention. Darwin laws apply to criminals too.

  22. Smh says:

    The Commission needs to understand the culture he is in. He gives too much information that should not be public. Even a simple statement says a lot.

  23. Watchers says:

    Its actually indirectly telling the criminals. We saw you however we GI ing u a chance to run away before we get you whilst investigation goes on. U ain’t see how much man that commit murder run gone leave the country after they let them go due to further investigation. Knowing that they are the killers. This system needs to be change.

  24. Tesha Miller says:

    Imagine ONE MAN causing all this and tha man can’t even FIGHT smh.

  25. Lia says:

    It is true that too much was divulged, but there is no reason for this type of media to regurgitate every word this man said.

    the top cop needs to think wisely. He comes from a very big country where people do not know each other unlike this small place where everyone is known so, he has to know what the hell to talk and what not to talk. I am surprised at him because he is head of the fold.

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