{"id":247999,"date":"2025-08-29T05:55:52","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T09:55:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=247999"},"modified":"2025-08-29T07:42:30","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T11:42:30","slug":"fatal-police-shooting-of-teen-sparks-outrage-in-bolans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/fatal-police-shooting-of-teen-sparks-outrage-in-bolans\/","title":{"rendered":"Fatal Police Shooting of Teen Sparks Outrage in Bolans"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Bolands Teen Shot Dead by Police on 18th Birthday, Sparking Outrage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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A community in Antigua <\/a>is demanding answers after an 18-year-old was shot and killed by police in Bolands<\/a> on the night of his birthday, in what relatives and neighbours are describing as an \u201cexecution-style\u201d killing.<\/p>

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Police said they were responding to a report that the teenager, Khalil Simon<\/a>, was armed. <\/p>

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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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shooting unfolded in a crowded residential neighbourhood, with stray bullets tearing through nearby homes.<\/p>

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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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf I had been there last night, that bullet would have hit me in the chest or my face,\u201d another resident told reporters, still shaken by the near miss.<\/p>

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Kelvin \u201cSugi\u201d Simon, the Member of Parliament for the area, visited the scene and challenged officers over the handling of the operation.<\/p>

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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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation could have been worse,\u201d he told officers, recalling how he urged them to take the stray bullet incident seriously and ensure it was investigated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unresolved questions remain over whether Simon was armed, why only one officer fired, and whether proper engagement protocols were followed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement on Thursday night, Acting Commissioner of Police Everton Jeffers extended condolences to Simon\u2019s family and the Bolands community. He pledged that the investigation would be \u201cthorough, transparent, and comprehensive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for many residents, trust in law enforcement has been badly shaken. Until answers are provided, the bullet holes left in family homes \u2014 and the loss of a teenager on his birthday \u2014 stand as stark reminders of a night that left an entire neighbourhood in fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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