Tragic Shooting in Sint Maarten: Politician’s Wife killed, Community in Shock

The island nation of Sint Maarten is in shock after a violent incident on Wednesday night in which Sabine Arrindell, the wife of high-profile politician Olivier Arrindell, was killed and Mr. Arrindell injured and still little knowledge about their offspring.

Mr and Mrs Arrindell were in their car with their child, driving in the Maho area at approximately 9:30 p.m. when the serenity of the night was shattered as gunshots rang out.

As Olivier Arrindell was wheeled into the ambulance on a stretcher, he yelled at onlookers, being distraught, “This ain’t no joke. Look at my wife in the car!” He also at that moment, named out other politicians and pointed the suspicion of the violence at them.

The tragic death of his wife was later confirmed by Mr Arrindell in a voice note to his followers, appealing them to be keep calm as the matter was being investigated by the police. The news set fear and sorrow and overall, shocked the whole community into a frenzy, giving raise to concerns over the stability of the region and mainly concerns of safety.

On Thursday, Sint Maarten’s Minister of Justice, Lyndon Lewis, further confirmed through a press release that four individuals were shot in the affair. Three of the victims were taken to the Sint Maarten Medical Center for treatment, while another one died on the spot.

Minister Lewis offered his deepest condolences and condemned the violence, suggesting that the acts may have been politically motivated, since Mr. Arrindell led the Oualichi Movement for Change (OMC) party and for him being a fierce critic of former PM, Silveria Jacobs.

Minister Lewis noted that Sint Maarten is a country based on the principles of peace, respect, and democratic participation. In this regard, the minister did not subscribe to the concept that alleged violence would have any room in the political atmosphere of Sint Maarten.

Given the event and the overall prevailing atmosphere of unease and chaos, the government has appealed to Kingdom Partners to help beef up resources in the local police.

Lyndon Lewis also called upon for the citizens of the nation to unite against all the injustice and violence and work together to bring on stability and define Sint Maarten as a peaceful and democratic nation. The community remains to deal with what happened, waiting for justice and restoration of peace.