The family and friends of 15-year-old Shinika Riley Jean Phillip say they are grappling with deep sadness and anger following her tragic death.
They say the incident has shaken them to the core.
The teenager, a George Charles Boulevard, Marchand resident, was gunned down at about 7:30 pm on Wednesday at La Coudou, Castries.
Her friends expressed their devastation, highlighting the joy she brought to their lives.
“She was a good friend to us,” one close friend said. “When we weren’t happy, she was always there to make us smile. It’s sad to see her go like this.”
Another friend recounted hearing gunshots and rushing to the scene, where he found Riley lying on the ground, lifeless. “A man didn’t have to kill a girl. She just turned 15. It shows that people today have no mercy,” he lamented.
The mood in the community on Thursday morning was palpable with grief and anger.
Residents are struggling to understand how such violence could claim the life of a young girl, whom they described as vibrant and wanting to change her life around.
“The community is mad. She was one of us,” another friend noted. “We need to come together and put down our guns.”
A close family member shared her heartache, expressing a feeling of failure from the community.
“The village that is supposed to raise a child failed Riley. People saw her taking the wrong path and turned a blind eye,” the family member asserted. “She was a great child who just lost her way.”
As the community mourns, there is a collective call for change. Many are urging young people to abandon violence and seek better paths.
“It’s time for us to come together and try to stop this,” one friend stated. “We have to work on bigger things and better things for our community.”
According to police data, Riley’s death pushed Saint Lucia’s homicide toll to 66 so far in 2024.