A community in Antigua is demanding answers after an 18-year-old was shot and killed by police in Bolands on the night of his birthday, in what relatives and neighbours are describing as an “execution-style” killing.
Police said they were responding to a report that the teenager, Khalil Simon, was armed. But eyewitnesses and family members insist he was given no opportunity to surrender before a single officer opened fire, striking him multiple times, including a fatal shot to the head.
The shooting unfolded in a crowded residential neighbourhood, with stray bullets tearing through nearby homes.
One mother later discovered a bullet lodged in her hallway after it had passed through her living room wall, just inches from where her son usually sat in the evenings.
“If I had been there last night, that bullet would have hit me in the chest or my face,” another resident told reporters, still shaken by the near miss.
Kelvin “Sugi” Simon, the Member of Parliament for the area, visited the scene and challenged officers over the handling of the operation.
He said he found no visible crime-scene tape and warned police about the danger posed to neighbours, pointing out the bullet hole in a nearby home.
“The situation could have been worse,” he told officers, recalling how he urged them to take the stray bullet incident seriously and ensure it was investigated.
The shooting has reignited longstanding complaints about the conduct of the Antigua and Barbuda Police Force, with residents accusing officers of being too quick to use their weapons.
Critics are calling for a full investigation into the killing, the release of details about the officer involved, and reforms to ensure deadly force is treated only as a last resort.
Unresolved questions remain over whether Simon was armed, why only one officer fired, and whether proper engagement protocols were followed.
In a statement on Thursday night, Acting Commissioner of Police Everton Jeffers extended condolences to Simon’s family and the Bolands community. He pledged that the investigation would be “thorough, transparent, and comprehensive.”
But for many residents, trust in law enforcement has been badly shaken. Until answers are provided, the bullet holes left in family homes — and the loss of a teenager on his birthday — stand as stark reminders of a night that left an entire neighbourhood in fear.
