MP Richard Lewis extends condolences to the family of slain youth cricketer

Member of Parliament Richard Lewis has conveyed his sincerest condolences to the family of Vonde Bowers, the young cricketer who was tragically stabbed to death in Grays Farm last night. Lewis, the representative for the constituency in which the incident took place, spoke with an air of familiarity as he addressed the situation on his social media page.

Lewis says that his “heart is aching” for his community at the moment, and calls on residents to “join in the fight” against the rising level of crime that has been seen in the area as of late. Lewis also called for full co-operation and support for the youth intervention programmes in his community, as they serve to deter socially deviant behavior.

The St. Johns Rural West MP also conveyed a feeling of optimism, as he charges, “we cannot give up on this generation.”

“Our community is bigger and better than the problems we face”, says MP Lewis.

A member of the nation’s under 19 cricket team, Vonde Bowers’ life was tragically cut short last night after an altercation in the Gray’s farm area led his fatal stabbing.

Richard Lewis’ full statement can be found below:

“I am currently overseas and woke up to the devastating news of the tragic death of promising young cricketer 16-year-old Vonde Bowers. I wish to convey sincere condolences to Ola, David and the rest of Vonde’s family. My heart is aching for my community.

Crime in our community needs to be controlled and soonest. A multi-faceted approach is needed. I call on all of us as residents of this community to join in the fight against this scourge.

Let us end the finger pointing and work together to devise a crime fighting strategy. We are all in this together.

We need to also focus on crime prevention. We need more youth intervention programs.

To this end, I must highly commend the Office of Youth Intervention within the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda for their youth intervention programmes in our community. They need our full co-operation and support. They are helping us to help ourselves. We have a duty to support their endeavours.

We need a community united against crime and violence. I call on parents, schools, churches, community groups, sports clubs, etc. to double the efforts in the fight.

Let us save our young people. We cannot give up on this generation. Enough time has been spent talking about the problem. Let us be a part of the solution.

Our community is bigger and better than the problems we face. Together, we can overcome.

God bless.

Richard S. Lewis MP”