The body of Etienne Le Blanc, resident of French Quarter lay slumped over in the store for hours, as the authorities combed the scene and collected evidence. Etienne Le Blanc along with an accomplice attempted to rob the “Flex” CD store on Fronstreet, closed to the Midtown Motel.
The store owner, a disabled Jamaican, who had been re-victimized and re-violated by robbers in the area, was not the person to do the shooting, according to eyewitnesses, it was his son who had decided to keep a weapon in the store.
The son, according to sources walked into the store in the Middle of the robbery, found the weapon, and started shooting.
He hit and killed one robber, Etienne Le Blanc, while the accomplice in the robbery managed to escape by foot.
The store owner who was severely burned, and lost most of the use of his hands due to tendon damage, has always been unable to defend himself when being victimized.
In the photos you see police questioning the father, as the father sits on a stoop giving his story.
The body of Etienne Le Blanc, remained slumped in the store, as rigor mortis set in (his body began to stiffen).
There were dozens of police, and curious bystanders at the scene.
Evidently the ambulance had been called, and had arrived, but Etienne was considered dead by the police, so the ambulance left, as the authorities waited for a hearse.
Detectives and other forensic experts entered the building where the body was, and for hours collected evidence and took photos around the body.
At approx. 7 pm, a firetruck finally backed up Fronstreet to block gawkers and the paparazzi from staring at the body, and the police at work.
Doctor Mercuur- St Maarten’s own grim reaper showed up, and that was the sign, that the person was officially dead.
Doctor Mercuur only shows up to pronounce deaths.
After Doctor Mercuur left, and the fire truck was brought in to obstruct the view, most of the media and bystanders went away.
In St Maarten, many feel that the police don’t care, or won’t do their jobs- so they have turned to vigilantism.
It is now up to law enforcement, to get their act together, and to do something about the rise in violent crimes in St Maarten.
Today is ironically the 4th anniversary for 10-10-10, us officially becoming a country.
Has St Maarten gotten better in the past 4 years?
My blog viewcount this week is over 100.000 views… in less than ONE week…
WHY?
SHOOTINGS, SHOOTINGS, SHOOTINGS, ROBBERY, UNSTABLE GOVERNMENT, GEBE FALLING APART, SHOOTINGS, ROBBERY, KILLINGS………
Below is the official version of the story by the Daily Herald,
but I was there on the scene of the crime very early on, so my report is a first hand account.
PHILIPSBURG–A man was shot dead inside the Most Requested Flex DVD store on Front Street around 4:00pm Thursday.
The victim, Etienne Leblanc of French Quarter, could be seen through the open door of the store, slumped over what appeared to be a fallen-over pile of boxes of some kind, next to a chair that had fallen on the floor. He appeared to be in his 20s.
Police, detectives and forensics officers were at scene, and a large part of Front Street was closed off as a crime scene. However, the shop’s shutters could not be closed due to a wide-spread electricity failure, allowing members of the public a glimpse of the goings-on inside.
The owner of the store was seen accompanying police to a waiting car. It is believed he went to give a statement as a witness.
Bystanders stated that two men had entered the store and attempted to rob the owner, who is disabled. It was said that the owner’s son arrived at that point and challenged the robbers, after which a fight started. In the process, a gun went off, fatally wounding one of the alleged robbers. The second alleged robber was seen to run away from the store.
The police were still busy with the investigation up to press time. “The investigation has just begun and it is still unclear as to exactly what took place, why, and who is responsible for this shooting,” police spokesman Inspector Ricardo Henson stated in a press release late last night.