Scottish man shot dead and 72-year-old friend left injured after gunmen opened fire in St Lucia

British estate manager is shot and killed and his photographer friend, 72, injured after masked gunmen opened fire in a bar in St Lucia where both men lived

  • Scottish Donnie McKinnon died in the alleged attack at Steve’s Bar, St Lucia  
  • Peter Jackson, 72, from Lancashire, was injured and taken to St. Jude Hospital 
  • A local source said masked gunmen fired shots at the Britons on the bar balcony
  • Police on the island are investigating the attack and plan to release a statement
  • A Foreign Office spokesman said they were urgently seeking more information

A British estate manager has been shot dead and his photographer friend left injured after masked gunmen opened fire at a bar in St Lucia, where both men lived.

Donnie McKinnon was killed in the alleged attack in the town of Soufriere yesterday afternoon. His friend Peter Jackson, a 72-year-old photographer from Accrington, was injured. 

According to a local source, the victims were on the balcony of Steve’s Bar on Market Road when the masked gunmen approached and fired shots.

Scottish Mr McKinnon was the manager of the Soufriere Estate on the island, a 2,000 acre former working plantation. 

Donnie McKinnon (pictured) was killed in the alleged attack, that took place at a local bar in the town of Soufriere

Donnie McKinnon (pictured) was killed in the alleged attack, that took place at a local bar in the town of Soufriere

Peter Jackson (pictured), 72, a photographer from Accrington, Lancashire, who has been living on the Caribbean island for over 30 years, was injured in the attack

Peter Jackson (pictured), 72, a photographer from Accrington, Lancashire, who has been living on the Caribbean island for over 30 years, was injured in the attack

According to a local source, the victims were on the balcony of Steve's Bar on Market Road when the masked gunmen approached and fired shots (Pictured: The crime scene cordoned off by police)

According to a local source, the victims were on the balcony of Steve’s Bar on Market Road when the masked gunmen approached and fired shots (Pictured: The crime scene cordoned off by police)

Mr Jackson, from Lancashire, who has been living on the Caribbean island for over 30 years, was injured in the alleged attack and taken to St. Jude Hospital. 

He is a well-known community activist and former director of the Soufriere Regional Development Foundation.  

Both men are citizens of the island, with one person telling St Lucia Times: ‘Everyone knew them. They were community people. This is sad.’

St Lucia, which has a population of less than 200,000, has recorded 67 homicides this year. 

A Foreign Office spokesman said: ‘We are urgently seeking more information from the government in St Lucia about an incident which took place yesterday.’ 

Mr Jackson was injured in the alleged attack and taken to the island's St. Jude Hospital

Mr Jackson was injured in the alleged attack and taken to the island’s St. Jude Hospital

Mr McKinnon (pictured right) was the manager of the Soufriere Estate on the island, a 2,000 acre former working plantation

Mr McKinnon (pictured right) was the manager of the Soufriere Estate on the island, a 2,000 acre former working plantation

A spokesman from the local council said: ‘The authorities are investigating a shooting incident which took place in Soufriere on Saturday afternoon which 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 are speaking to people who were been present and may have seen something. 

‘We will leave no stone unturned as we investigate this fully. We will be releasing a statement shortly.’

Mr McKinnon was the general manager at Marcliffe Hotel and Spa in Aberdeen between 2007 and 2009. 

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