The 54-year-old resident of Piat, Gros Islet, Gregory Louison, was shot dead Wednesday night, prompting family members to question why.
The Gros Islet Police Station received a distress call regarding the incident at approximately 9:50 PM.
Upon arrival, officers discovered Louison’s lifeless body lying face down in the middle of the road with a gunshot wound to his forehead.
Editha Louison, the victim’s elder sister, expressed her profound shock and grief over the incident.
She recounted her horrifying experience, explaining that she was at home when she heard the gunfire, and her brothers immediately came to mind as both Gregory and another sibling, Teddy, were down the road.
Soon after, a panicked Teddy brought the devastating news.
Editha says she threw on a robe, wasting no time to get to the scene, where she found Gregory’s lifeless body lying in the middle of the street.
According to reports, the assailant/s had lain in wait for Gregory in nearby bushes and ambushed him as he approached.
Editha told reporters she was struggling to understand the motive behind the attack.
“I don’t know, he’s always down the road, he drinks and when he drinks- he talks, he curse, he does stuff. He’s always drinking and getting on sometimes, you know. But I do not know why the person would have done that to him.”
The fatal shooting opened another sorrowful chapter for the Louison family.
Gregory’s 12-year-old son, Rohan Louison, was tragically killed in a drive-by shooting in Desrameaux, Monchy in September 2018.
At this time, it remains unclear if there is any connection between the two events.
Editha Louison lamented the escalating violence in Saint Lucia, calling for an end to such senseless acts.
“It’s too much! Something has to be done! It cannot continue!… Nobody had to kill him this way. This is a life you end there,” she said with palpable anguish. “I know it happened, but I cannot believe it.”
Gregory Louison spent most of his life as a mason and painter, and his sister said he had recently taken up animal rearing as a hobby.
A daughter and a grandson survive him.
The island’s homicide toll now stands at 57 for the year 2024.
