Bocage resident Shervon Ashton, who was found dead on Tuesday, Nov. 7, was shot by police in 2013 after he allegedly brandished a machete at the lawmen who were at the time investigating allegations that the suspect set fire to his sister’s house.

This is according to a news report published on October 17, 2013 in this online publication.

Ashton, 24, became the island’s 49th homicide victim when his body – with a wound to the neck – was found around 6 a.m. on Tuesday at Deglos in the Crown Lands area of Bexon, police said.

His sister, Sherman Ashton, told HTS that she last saw her only brother on Monday night, and got the “shocking” news from a neighbour, who told her that they found him at Deglos with a “stab behind his neck”.

However, she revealed that her brother was no saint and he also suffered from mental illness.

According to Sherman, her brother had been to prison twice and he was brought to “Golden Hope” (National Mentall Wellness Centre) because he “quarrelled” and “insulted” everyone, including herself and other relatives.

Sherman’s story adds up based on the 2013 report in which her brother was shot in the leg after he allegedly armed himself with a machete in the presence of the police after burning his sister’s house down.

Below his the original story

UPDATED: Armed man shot by police, accused of setting sister’s house on fire

A man armed with a machete and suspected of setting fire to his sister’s house was shot by police in Dierre Morne ( Bocage, Castries area) early this morning after the lawmen responded to reports of threats and damage to property.

Relatives say Shervon Ashton, who is in his early 20s, was shot in the left leg after he allegedly refused to obey the police’s order to put the weapon down. Photos obtained by St. Lucia News Online show a bleeding Ashton with a machete beside him.
Ashton is suspected of damaging items in his sister’s house before allegedly setting it on fire with two adults and two children inside. The house was totally destroyed.

Police confirmed the incident in a press release.

“On arrival on the scene, the officers observed a dwelling house belonging to Tracy Ashton of Bocage, Castries completely destroyed by fire. They received information that the brother of the victim had threatened to burn down the dwelling house earlier that evening. The suspect was confronted by police and brandished a cutlass at the officers in a menacing manner. An officer fired a single gunshot in the direction of the suspect hitting him in the leg. He was transported to Victoria Hospital where he was treated and admitted. He is currently in a stable condition at the said hospital,” the release stated.

An eyewitness backed up the police’s statement in an interview with St. Lucia News Online.

“Reports of damage to property were made to the police but while the police was preparing to visit the scene a further report came in for arson. Whilst on the scene police officers, dressed in plain clothes, firemen and civilian, were sneaked upon by the accused who was armed with a cutlass and was shot by the police in the leg,” the eyewitness said.

Relatives of Ashton, who spoke on condition of anonymity, echoed similar sentiments.

“He got shot in the left leg by police because he was refusing to put the cutlass down,” the relative said.

However, another relative said Ashton may be innocent.

“He was accused of doing it (damaging items in the house) and my sister called the police, but everyone is saying he wasn’t nearby,” she said.

This is the third police shooting within 24 hours.

Police, acting on a crime report, shot a man in Castries about 5 pm on Wednesday and a man suspected of a robbery in Mon Repos was also shot by the lawmen late Wednesday night.

None of the shootings have resulted in death.