Grenada police are currently investigating two deaths this past week including what appears to be an execution on Tuesday night in Gun Battle in St John in which one man was killed.
The other incident which took place on Sunday related to the recovery of the body of 46-year old David Forte who was found naked among rocks face down in an area known as Russian Point in St David .
Family members believe foul play is at work as the Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) continue with their investigation into the incident.
According to one family member, the police are continuing to hold on to the body of Forte and have not given it over for burial.
He said that he last saw the deceased on Sunday around noon in the company of an individual who is said to be of interest to the police in their ongoing investigation.
He indicated that about 2 hours later, the girlfriend of David called a family member to report that the person with whom he was last seen in public to “say a whole hour he and Forte down in Russian Point and Forte say he going an ease his bowel and how up to now Forte can’t come back and he searching for him all over the place and can’t find him.”
Within minutes, family members of the deceased reached the beach to help look for the missing man.
THE NEW TODAY was told that they are very suspicious of the reported incident as the person of interest to the police was giving some kind of explanation as to what happened and “that just didn’t make sense to me.”
“…The place where he said he parked up (the vehicle), the place where he said (David) went is like literally walking into the roughest part of the ocean. Everybody that hearing the story say that ain’t make no sense. A lot of people are talking and they’re saying that isn’t sounding right.”
“The guy is very sketchy. Up to now the guy hasn’t really come and say nothing to us. The day when the body was found, the man walked straight – he peeped at the body then he go on the phone and all ah hear he saying is that they find him, they find his body on the rocks in La Tante.
“Just as how he make the walk come across, he made a 360 on the phone and he went his way. Everybody is asking about him and for him and he (is) just now showing up. On top of that I am not seeing any remorse on the man’s face or nothing.”
A brief statement put out by RGPF on the incident said: “Police are investigating the death of David Forte 46 years old, painter, of Grand Bacolet, St. Andrew. Mr Forte and another man reportedly left to go fishing at La Tante Bay on Sunday 19th March 2023.
Mr Forte was said to have separated from his companion and had not returned. A subsequent search for him proved futile.
The body of Mr David Forte was discovered by a search party, between the rocks, in the shallow waters of the La Tante Bay, around 9:30 a.m, today Monday 20th March 2023. He was then pronounced dead. A postmortem will be conducted to determine the cause of death.
THE NEW TODAY understands that a local Pathologist did conduct the post-mortem while the family members are exploring the possibility of getting another one done.
In the other incident, police are focused on the northwestern community of Gun Battle following the fatal shooting of a young man just before 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
Dead is 30-year-old Johnathan Richards also known as “Not Nice,” who resided at River Lane Gouyave, St. John at the time of the incident.
The 30-year-old was reportedly shot at least six (6) times while hanging out in the popular Gun Battle area.
Information is sketchy but speculation is rife that the execution-style shooting may have been drug-related and that a Vincentian national may be responsible for Richards’ death.
Sources say the assailant emerged from the seafront dressed in all black.
Richards was no stranger to the law as he was arrested in June 2019, along with a Vincentian identified as Cornelius Hackshire, in connection with a robbery incident at D. A Munroe and Sons Sunshine Snacks store, located on Grenville Street, St. George.
Richards was also arrested by police in April 2021 and slapped with two (2) counts of Attempt to Commit Non-Capital Murder, Possession of a Firearm and ammunition following an incident along the northwestern side of the country, which resulted in an 11-year-old child receiving a gunshot wound to his arm.
Prime Minister and Minister for National Security Dickon Mitchell referred to the Gun Battle execution as he raised concerns over the growing trend of external influences on gun-related crimes in Grenada and other Eastern Caribbean countries during Wednesday’s opening of the Regional Security Systems (RRS) Council of Ministers at the Radisson hotel.