Saint Lucia Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre condemned a “bloody weekend” in Marchand at the weekly government press briefing this week, after a late-night shooting on Saturday killed two members of the community. Pearl Ramsay, 64, of Marchand, and Sheston Duncan, 34, of Black Mallet, Marchand, were identified as the victims. Officers from the Marchand Police Station responded to reports of the shooting on Marchand Road at approximately 11:00 p.m. on May 9.
The violence unfolded during the island’s Saint Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival and the annual celebration of Mother’s Day, layering the loss against two of the country’s most prominent calendar events. As Member of Parliament for Castries East, Pierre has been a vocal advocate for steering youth away from crime through expanded social programmes and technical and vocational training. “We cannot address crime through enforcement alone,” he said. “The justice system must be strengthened from investigation to prosecution, but we must also place greater focus on prevention, conflict resolution, and the social conditions that contribute to violence.”
For Saint Lucians in the diaspora and for visitors weighing return travel during festival season, the Marchand shooting and the wider conversation about the justice system are reminders that Castries-area crime continues to test the limits of what enforcement alone can achieve. Pierre’s recurring theme — that prevention, justice reform, and social programmes must move together — has now anchored both his post-$2.97m damages-ruling response and his condemnation of the Marchand killings within a single week.
Sources: The Voice St Lucia, May 11, 2026.