British worker shot dead in Caribbean bar by masked gunmen
A BRITISH estate manager was shot dead and his photographer friend injured after masked gunmen opened fire at a bar on the Caribbean island of St Lucia, where both men lived.
Donnie Mckinnon was killed in the attack in the town of Soufriere yesterday afternoon. His friend Peter Jackson, a 72-year-old photographer from Accrington, Lancs, was injured.
The victims were sitting on the balcony of Steve’s Bar in Market Road when the shots were fired, it is believed.
Mr Mckinnon, a Scotsman, managed the Soufriere Estate, a 2,000-acre former working plantation. Mr Jackson, a well-known community activist and former director of the Soufriere Regional Development Foundation who has been living on the Caribbean island for over 30 years, was taken to St. Jude Hospital.
Both men became citizens of the island, where a resident told St Lucia Times: “Everyone knew them. They were community people. This is sad.”
A British man who knew both victims said: “I have known Peter Jackson for many years. He is married to a former librarian from the town and they have children together. He loved St Lucia and hardly went back to the UK. He was always in the town talking to people and mixing with the locals. His kids have all grown up now.
“The bar is owned by a fellow Briton from the Windrush generation. She will be shocked when she hears about this tragic incident. She goes back to London frequently. Everybody is in shock in the community.”
St Lucia, which has a population of less than 200,000, has recorded 67 homicides this year. The Foreign Office said it was aware of the reports and had requested more information. A spokesman said: “We are urgently seeking more information from the government in St Lucia about an incident that took place yesterday.”
A spokesman for the local authority responsible for the area said: “The authorities are investigating a shooting incident the took place in Soufriere on Saturday afternoon that left one man dead and another nursing injuries at the hospital.”
A police spokesman said: “We are looking into this shooting, which we were called to during the course of today.
“We will leave no stone unturned as we investigate this fully. We will be releasing a statement shortly.”
Mr Mckinnon was the general manager of Marcliffe Hotel and Spa in Aberdeen between 2007 and 2009.