By Admin. Updated 4:09 a.m., Thursday, July 30, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).
A 71-year-old businessman has been granted bail after being charged in connection with the shooting of a Villa man in Fountain earlier this week.
Police said Oscar McDowall of Queen’s Drive was arrested and charged on Wednesday, July 29, with the indictable offence of wounding following an investigation into the incident.
According to the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force, McDowall is accused of unlawfully and maliciously wounding 48-year-old mason Asbert Williams of Villa by shooting him in the abdomen with a firearm on Tuesday, July 28. The alleged offence is said to have occurred in Fountain.
McDowall appeared before the Serious Offences Court on Thursday, July 30. As the matter is indictable, he was not required to enter a plea at this stage of the proceedings.
The court granted him bail in the sum of EC$15,000 with one surety. As part of his bail conditions, McDowall was ordered to have no contact with the complainant and to report to the Central Police Station every Wednesday between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
The matter was adjourned to August 8, 2026.
Williams was taken to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital after the shooting, where he received medical treatment. Police have not released an official update on his condition.
When One News SVG first reported the incident on Tuesday, the circumstances surrounding the shooting had not been established. Reports circulating at the time suggested the incident may have followed an altercation involving the picking of coconuts. However, those claims have not been independently verified by One News SVG and should not be regarded as established fact.
The case remains before the courts. As criminal proceedings are ongoing, the charge against McDowall is an allegation, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
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