Police suspect a number of men were involved in Christmas Day murder

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Multiple men are believed to have been involved in the Christmas morning murder of 20-year-old Malcolm Augustus.

Chief Inspector Nick Pedro said in a press conference that while police already have a 24-year-old St George’s man in custody in connection to the Christmas killing, they believe two or more other men played a role.

“The investigating team believes that at least two other males were involved in the shooting of this young man, and possibly more than two,” Chf Insp Pedro said.

“While one arrest has been made we will not run to judgement with the facts. It is really important that other persons involved in this are brought to justice as soon as possible.”

Mr Augustus, described by police as a single man in the prime of his life, was fatally shot on the border of the St George’s Golf course at 12.05am on Christmas. Police believe that he was on the way to a St George’s residence when the incident occurred.

Mr Augustus was the fifth firearm fatality of the year.

The shooting took place an hour and a half after an altercation on Wellington Road. Police believe the two incidents may be connected.

“We are interested in speaking with anyone who may have witnessed a disturbance on Wellington Road which occurred between 10.30pm to 10.45pm on Christmas Eve, Monday night,” he said.

“This is an incident that we believe may be linked to the murder of Mr Augustus. We are trying to determine that at the moment. There are certain items of evidence that may link the two incidents, which is why we are interested in speaking with anyone that may have witnessed that.”

Chf Insp Pedro said an overseas forensic pathologist has flown to the Island to assist with the ongoing investigation, and evidence from the crime scene is currently being processed. He also said that a number of vehicles are being looked at as being linked to the shooting.

Chf Insp Pedro said he was not willing to say if Mr Augustus had any gang affiliation, but said police did have contact with the victim.

“I don’t want to get into details. This young man is dead, and we want to bring his killers to justice. That’s what we are trying to do here.”

Asked if the lack of a Police Station in the town of St George’s might have affected the response time of officers, Chf Insp Pedro said: “We could speculate on a number of things. This could have happened anywhere. Obviously the response time is an issue that has to be addressed by people higher in rank than myself.

“I think it’s fair to point out that the Police Service, for a number of years now the Island has had an armed response capability that operates across the Island.

“There is a police station in St George’s Parish, and I think it’s fair to say the response of the police service is the same no matter what time you call. We have people and resources on the ground 24-hours a day.”

Anyone with evidence, information, or that can assist in any other way is urged to contact the Serious Crime Unit on 247-1185 or on the confidential and independent Crime Stoppers hotline 800-8477 (TIPS).

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