Minister with responsibility for Crime Prevention Kirk Humphrey has condemned the fatal shooting of 13-year-old Shawnaton Chase as “nonsensical” and “unacceptable”, describing the incident as a national tragedy that demands immediate social intervention.
The minister, who now oversees crime prevention, said the incident underscores the urgent need for both social and security interventions to protect vulnerable communities.
“This thing has affected the collective conscience of the nation,” Humphrey said during the launch of Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month on Friday.
“It is stupidity of the highest order to pull a gun in a crowd of girls playing netball, with children watching, and think that is acceptable. It is not.”
Chase, a second-form student of The Lodge School, was shot while watching a netball game on a hard court in Silver Sands, Christ Church.
The incident, which unfolded in a public recreational space, has left residents shaken.
Humphrey said several men in the area told him they had not slept since the shooting, and others said they could no longer bring themselves to use the hard court.
“That’s trauma,” he said.
“And if you leave trauma untreated, it’s going to have consequences.”
The minister said his team conducted a walk-through of the community following the incident, where he spoke with the boy’s parents, calling his conversation with the mother “gut-wrenching”.
He told reporters that his ministry has since committed to making social workers available for those in the community who wish to receive counselling.
The Crime Prevention Unit of The Barbados Police Service will also be working with the ministry to develop and implement long-term community programmes.
Humphrey said the shooting is part of a troubling pattern in which both the victims and perpetrators of violent crime are children.
He referred to a separate incident in which a 15-year-old boy has been charged in connection with another act of violence: “When children are the victims and the perpetrators, what else do we need to realise that we must act now?”
Humphrey further announced the hiring of parenting coaches and life coaches who will work directly with families in at-risk communities.
The aim is to build stronger parenting skills, offer guidance, and support families in need.
“We have to be serious about the institutions we build,” he said.
“We cannot expect systems created in the 1960s or 70s to work in today’s society. Our society is changing fast, and unfortunately, not in the right direction.”
The minister also criticised a culture of glorifying violence and confirmed that the ministry has received reports of young boys being paid “small change” to take a life.
“It’s nonsense. And if I sound angry, it’s because I am. This isn’t about politics—this is about our children and our country,” he said.
He noted that while the police must continue to enforce the law, social institutions and community leaders must come together to provide long-term solutions.
“You may not see the results immediately, but over time, we can reduce the ignorance and violence we are seeing now,” Humphrey said.
“This has to be a national response.”
The post Shawnaton Chase: Social care minister wants urgent action against tide of violence appeared first on Barbados Today.
