The second fatal shooting in St. Maarten within a month sent shockwaves throughout the community on Tuesday. This time the deceased apparently were suspected robbers, which of course led many to react that they fully deserved what they got.

Be that as it may, two families are mourning the loss of their loved ones and it still regards human beings. Of course, they totally called what happened upon themselves by not only wanting to commit a robbery at gunpoint, but trying to do so on a heavily armed money transport service with trained security officers.

The duo thus paid the ultimate price for their greed-inspired boldness and downright stupidity at the expense of others, and obviously also fired shots at the guards, one of whom was injured. It’s hard to sympathise with the deceased too much, as they probably would not have hesitated to kill their targets given half the chance.

Under these kinds of circumstances it often comes down to “either you or me” and in this case at least the good guys won. Nevertheless, there is no reason for joy.

What happened at about 8:00am in Cay Hill is actually a sad reminder of the increasingly violent nature of crime on the island, where bandits not only carry firearms but aren’t afraid to use them. The recent illegal weapons collection campaign on both sides may have helped, but clearly did not solve the problem entirely.

Perhaps this latest deadly incident will do more by reminding would-be delinquents what the possible consequences of such actions could be. It’s not just about going to prison, but potentially ending one’s life prematurely.

Unfortunately, for some it might take a major tragedy like this one to drive that message home. Truth be told, one can hardly imagine a better deterrent.