Police have arrested a man on suspicion of the murder of Donnie McKinnon who was fatally shot last Saturday while out drinking with his friend Peter Jackson at a bar in St Lucia.
The suspect was arrested at an address in Soufriere yesterday afternoon, a police source said.
‘The police have detained a man believed to be in his 30s and are questioning him in connection with the murder of the British man who was killed over the weekend.’
Said the source. ‘The police are working on intelligence gathered over the last few days and have been speaking to people in the area where the murder took place.’
Police have arrested a man on suspicion of the murder of Donnie McKinnon who was fatally shot last Saturday while out drinking with his friend Peter Jackson at a bar in St Lucia
Mr McKinnon was shot dead at Steve’s Bar in Soufriere, St Lucia, where he has lived for the past 13 years
Shocked neighbours where the suspect was arrested said that the police just came round to pick up the suspect and did not use force. ‘We are quite shocked about this arrest and would like to know what is going on.’
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Another neighbour said: ‘The police did not say much and the suspect was cooperative and went willingly. He did not resist arrest. He is in the police station answering questions.’
A third person said that the suspect is known to the police. ‘There is a rumour going around saying that he seems to know about what transpired on the day of the shooting and may have been spilling his guts about it. That is just a rumour for now.’
An eyewitness who saw the gunman running away said that he was wearing a mask and will not be able to identify him as he did not see his face. ‘This man came running at full speed into our yard. He was running at breakneck speed and with a face covering which covered his whole face except his eyes.
‘All we saw was him running away and nothing else. This was happening around the time that the men were shot. He run so fast that I don’t think that I would have been able to keep up with him even if I tried to follow him.’
Mr McKinnon’s friend Peter Jackson, pictured left, was wounded in the attack
McKinnon,51, who held dual citizenship previously worked as a manager at the Marcliffe Hotel and Spa in Aberdeen. He was the manager of the Soufriere estate where he worked for many years after migrating from Scotland.
The police spokesman said that the police will make a statement soon about what they described as a ‘heinous crime’.
The spokesman said: ‘They may well be speaking to a prime suspect according to what we are being told. We are optimistic that they will be able to charge someone soon. This crime cannot go unpunished and the police need to send the message out loud and clear.’
