Homicide detectives in Trinidad and Tobago are probing the suspected killing of an American man who, police say, left friends to buy marijuana and was later found dead.
Authorities identified the victim as 43-year-old Christopher Brown, a builder from Silverthorne, Colorado. According to a local police report, Brown had dinner and drinks with friends Wednesday night in Castara, a small fishing village on Tobago, and told them he was going out to purchase marijuana.
Shortly after 10:30 p.m. local time officers responded to a report that Brown had been discovered unresponsive in the area. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators say he suffered multiple stab wounds and that a metal object was protruding from his back; they are continuing to investigate the motive.
Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro said a suspect is now in custody. Authorities have not released details about whether Brown was visiting Tobago or when he arrived on the island.
Tobago’s Division of Tourism condemned the killing, calling it an unprecedented act of violence in Castara, which officials describe as a typically safe and welcoming fishing community.
The slaying comes amid a broader security context in Trinidad and Tobago: police statistics show more than 330 homicides so far this year, and a state of emergency has been in effect since July after authorities accused a criminal network operating from prisons of plotting to kill officials and attack public institutions.
Separately, the U.S. Embassy in Trinidad and Tobago recently warned Americans in the country to avoid U.S. government facilities amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela; Venezuela lies just a few miles from Trinidad.