Police are hunting down the men who fatally shot the 32-year-old son of St Kitts and Nevis’ Minister of Public Infrastructure, Posts, Urban Development and Transport, Ian ‘Patches’ Liburd on Monday night And Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris has called on anyone with information about the murder of Mickail ‘Mitch’ Liburd, the 20^th person to be killed in the twin-island federation this year, to assist police in their investigations.

Reports indicate that Liburd was ambushed by masked gunmen who opened fire on him as he got out of his car, around 10:15 p.m. He tried to escape but collapsed in nearby bushes and died on the scene.

In a statement issued yesterday, Prime Minister Harris, who is also Minister of National Security, encouraged citizens to provide any information they deem relevant to the investigation of the fatal shooting.

He also offered condolences to Minister Liburd, whom he described as his “trusted colleague and confidant”.

“My Team Unity Government and I lift up our beloved colleague and his whole family in prayer and ask God to heal the unimaginable heartbreak of having to bury a child. Minister Liburd can count on us to give him the emotional support needed during this incredibly painful time,” he said.

“While tragedy knocks us to our knees, it also brings us closer to the people in our lives who will always be around to hold us by the hand and pick us up off the ground after we’ve fallen into despair. Patches, I am here for you, the country stands with you, and our Cabinet will only grow closer in this ordeal.”

Liburd’s murder came just days after officers of the St Kitts and Nevis Defence Force were given policing powers, in government’s effort to step up its fight against crime.