A resident told Times of Suriname that the perpetrator’s wife left him several months ago and that she had left the children in his care. “The man was not completely sane and maybe there would have been more deaths if the other neighbors had also opened their doors when he knocked on them. I find the things that happened awful and hope that we as neighbors will get the necessary help from the government,” said the female resident.

The residents are puzzled by the actions of the man as they do not know what triggered the man who killed his own children in their sleep, the neighbors and their grandchild.

Another neighbor claimed that the perpetrator knocked on the door of a neighbor before telling him that he had killed the wild pigs. He pointed out that the perpetrator was most likely in a state of confusion and that he thought that he had stabbed wild pigs. This deadly incident has left the nation in shock and disbelief but it also raises many questions about prevention, healthcare for people with a mental illness and the failure of the government system to raise and spot red flags.

President Jennifer Simons pointed out that the drama hit the nation in a period where the focus is on unity and hope. Her words reflect a huge social shock as this big outburst of violence happened in the middle of a residential area where most of the victims were children. The Simons administration responded swiftly as the ministers of Justice & Police, Social Affairs and the deputy minister of Health were sent to the crime scene. The government will reportedly cover the funeral costs as a symbolic gesture of solidarity. The statements given by the government officials suggested that this tragedy could have been prevented.

Social Affairs and Housing Minister Diana Pokie pointed out that “the government failed to do its homework.” Justice and Police Minister Harish

Monorath spoke about helplessness and sadness but acknowledged that multiple domestic violence incidents had been reported prior to the tragedy. All of this suggests that the suspect was already on the police radar and that he most likely had serious mental problems.

Deputy Health Minister Radj Jadnanansing who is also a psychologist pointed out that the system must be reviewed. “How did this man manage to avoid detection?” The deputy minister made it clear that there were red flags in the man’s neighborhood, school or within the healthcare system but that nobody spotted them or did anything about it. The investigation must shed some light on the matter so that officials can find out where things went wrong. The police confirmed that the man popped up in their radar a year ago because of the domestic violence that was reported. After that the situation seemed to stabilize. The violent outburst of the perpetrator has made it clear that the system has failed.

Acting Police Commissioner Melvin Pinas pointed out that he had never experienced such an incident in his 30 years on the force. He also announced counselling for the officers and forensics teams involved.