A screenshot taken from a live video by local journalist Andrew Dick, showing the car in which Olivier Arrindell’s wife Sabine reportedly died.
~politicians quick to decry violence~
PHILIPSBURG--Controversial politician and Oualichi Movement for Change (OMC) leader Olivier Arrindell was shot in the Maho area around 9:30pm Wednesday. He was taken by ambulance to St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) but it is unclear how serious his injuries are.
A video circulating on social media shows Arrindell with a blood-stained shirt and saying, “People I’ve been shot.” He turns to an off-screen person and says he was shot in the back.
Police have said that three people were shot, with a woman having succumbed to her injuries and died. OMC number 18 candidate Laurence Lake took a video of himself in the ambulance, saying he was shot in the shoulder.
Reports indicate that it was Arrindell’s wife Sabine who was shot and killed, but police had not confirmed the identity of the deceased up to press time at 12:20am Thursday.
Videos taken outside the lobby of a popular Maho hotel showed police officers and ambulance workers surrounding a dark sedan where a bloodied, lifeless body was hunched over in the passenger seat.
Another video by local media captured Arrindell being wheeled on a stretcher into a waiting ambulance. “They tried to kill me. This is serious,” Arrindell said, wagging a finger at the journalist. “Look at my wife in the car. Look at my wife.”
Arrindell then blamed three leaders of other political parties as being responsible, indicating that he believes the shooting to be politically motivated.
Police have yet to disclose a possible motive for the apparent attempt on Arrindell’s life, but many politicians took to Facebook shortly after the shooting to condemn the attack.
“Politically motivated violence of any kind has absolutely no place in our sweet St. Maarten. This is not who we are,” said National Alliance (NA) leader Silveria Jacobs, who took Arrindell to court for slander and defamation in the run-up to January’s election. “I denounce violence in all its forms. Praying for peace on St. Maarten and those affected by these senseless acts.”
Democratic Party (DP) leader Sarah Wescot-Williams also condemned what she called a “senseless act of violence against politicians and citizens.”
“I pray for the victims and the families affected and for our island, as I call for peace in our land.
May the perpetrators be quickly apprehended, and I urge the leaders of this country to come together in solidarity and unity,” she said.
Member of Parliament (MP) and Party for Progress (PFP) leader Melissa Gumbs said that her party has and “will continue to denounce any and all acts of and calls for political violence, from any source, and will continue to maintain this stance.”
United People’s (UP) party leader Omar Ottley said: “The community of St. Maarten has been shaken once again by a senseless incident of gun violence. The United People’s Party stands united in the belief that gun violence tears apart the very fabric of our community and undermines the values we hold dear.”
In a press statement late Wednesday, Soualiga Action Movement (SAM) leader Franklin Meyers announced that his party’s public meeting today, Thursday, has been cancelled.
“The SAM Party does not condone violence, of any kind, and we ask the citizens of this country to remain calm and respectful of the family during their time of grief,” Meyers said. “On behalf of the party and myself, we extend our sincere condolences to the leader of the OMC, Mr. Olivier Arrindell, his family, his candidates and supporters as they navigate this very difficult period.”
Caretaker Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina has announced that he will deliver a national address today, Thursday.
“My deepest condolences to all those affected by this tragedy. No type of violence has a place in St. Maarten, under any circumstances,” he said. “We must not allow this kind of violence to become normalised.”
Only 10 days ago, caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Patrice Gumbs issued a press statement calling on party leaders to foster a peaceful campaign leading up to the snap elections on August 19.
“As leaders, I urge you to remember that your words are powerful, and both positively and negatively impact the unity of our society,” he said.
