Barbados passed another grave milestone with the 25th homicide of the year after a man was shot dead in the Ivy, St Michael just after midnight on Monday, sparking renewed calls from residents for urgent action to tackle the island’s escalating gun violence.
Anderson Calderon, 39, of North Close, Wildey, was gunned down just metres from Ram’s Chill Spot on Skeetes Road, a popular neighbourhood shop.
Police said they responded to reports of gunfire around 12:03 a.m. and discovered Calderon’s body with multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene by a medical doctor.
When Barbados TODAY visited Calderon’s home later in the afternoon, repeated knocks at the front door and the ringing of the doorbell went unanswered.
Back at the scene of the slaying, shop owner Michael “Ram” Holder, who has lived in the area for more than 25 years, expressed sadness about the senseless killing and the innocent lives gunmen were endangering.
He added that he hoped the incident would not affect his business.
Shop owner Michael ‘Ram’ Holder. (SB)
“Can’t feel good about it . . . I can’t feel good about it,” he said concerning the recent murders in the community. “You got children, you got a family. You want to be safe out here. You don’t want to be looking over your shoulder all the time.”
Other residents voiced similar despair, pointing fingers at what they perceive as systemic failures, broken promises by political leaders, and a lack of community investment—especially in youth programming.
One man questioned how illegal firearms were making their way onto the streets.
“Question—who brings the guns in this country? I, a law-abiding citizen, can’t have a gun unless I get permission from the government to carry a firearm. You understand me? So when they address the matter correctly is when we can solve the gun issues in this country.”
He argued that without confronting the root causes—such as poverty, fatherless homes, and disenfranchised youth—Barbados will remain locked in a cycle of crime.
Another Ivy resident said the system is failing the most vulnerable.
“You got homes with six, seven children and only two people working. No unity of family like before. Fathers in jail. Mothers got to go to work and the eldest has to watch all the siblings. That’s pressure.”
He called for urgent social interventions, including access to land for small businesses and a revamp of television content and cultural influences that glamorise violence and fast money.
sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb
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