Fatal Massade shooting renews calls for mental health reform
People in Massade, Gros Islet, are grieving after 34-year-old Julien Cedrick Agian was allegedly shot and killed by his cousin late Sunday night. The incident has brought renewed attention to mental health, public safety and gun violence in Saint Lucia. Police said officers from the Gros Islet Police Station responded to a shooting in Massade […] The article Fatal Massade shooting renews calls for mental health reform is from St. Lucia Times.
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People in Massade, Gros Islet, are grieving after 34-year-old Julien Cedrick Agian was allegedly shot and killed by his cousin late Sunday night. The incident has brought renewed attention to mental health, public safety and gun violence in Saint Lucia.
Police said officers from the Gros Islet Police Station responded to a shooting in Massade at about 10:45 p.m. on May 17, 2026. Agian had gunshot wounds and was taken to the Gros Islet Polyclinic by private car, but he did not survive.
Police said one person is helping with the investigation. Family members linked the shooting to a close cousin of Agian.
A post-mortem examination has been scheduled for a later date.
Family and friends said Agian was caring and always lifted people’s spirits. His death has left them in shock.
“He was always the life of the party,” one grieving family member recalled during an emotional interview. “You could always go to him for advice. He always had something positive to say and always tried to guide people in the right direction.
“You could go to him feeling beat down, and he would make you feel like yourself again,” the family member said. “He would tell you, ‘Relax, things happen. Think about the positive that will come out of it.’”
The loss is even harder for the family because Agian’s wife is said to be pregnant.
Family members said they are still trying to come to terms with his death.
“I’m in denial,” the relative said. “I just kept thinking he got shot and he would pull through. I was waiting for him to call and say he was okay.”
Friends and community members also remembered Agian as kind, funny and always ready to help.
A close friend said the whole community is shaken by what happened.
“He was a very nice guy,” the friend stated. “He used to sit around, joke with everybody and help people. Everybody knew him as a good person.”
Several people interviewed said they are worried about how people with severe mental illness are treated, especially when there have been past threats.
Another close associate said the mental health system is not doing enough to monitor and treat people who are unstable.
“When somebody mentally unstable keeps threatening people, we can’t keep taking it lightly,” the man said. “People say, ‘That’s your cousin, leave him alone,’ until something like this happens.”
He said people who act violently or make threats should get longer-term psychiatric care before returning to the community.
“If somebody needs treatment, keep them there until they recover,” he said. “You can’t send them out the next day and expect everybody to be safe.”
The incident has led to more calls for stronger action against illegal guns and violence among young men.
One resident said communities need to get more involved in dealing with problems before they turn into tragedies.
“We cannot leave everything for the government and police,” he said. “If we see problems, we have to speak about it and try to stop it before things happen.”
Police are still investigating the homicide.
If you have any information about the incident, please contact the Gros Islet Police Station at 456-3830. You can also give anonymous tips by calling the Crime Hotline at 555 or using the RSLPF Crime Hotline app on the Google Play Store.
The article Fatal Massade shooting renews calls for mental health reform is from St. Lucia Times.
