RADHICA DE SILVA
Senior Multimedia Reporter
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National Security Minister Roger Alexander has expressed shock and sadness over the killing of businessman Steve Ghany Junior, revealing that he had spent time with him just days before his death.
Speaking with reporters at the official handover ceremony at the Penal Fire Headquarters on Wednesday, Alexander said he met Ghany over the weekend at a rifle range, where they engaged in recreational shooting.
“Yeah, he was a friend of mine. Very sad… I never expected this outcome that he would be dead,” the minister said. “We went on the range, took a little sweat, and he came together with another person. So yeah, we met him.”
Ghany was killed in what investigators believe to be a domestic-related incident. Alexander noted that the circumstances surrounding the shooting remain unclear and are now the subject of a police investigation.
“Circumstances still look sketchy… investigators will determine exactly what took place there,” he said, offering condolences to the family. “I hope the good Lord bless his soul, and that the family will be able to live again after this incident.”
The minister said Ghany never spoke to him about any personal issues.
“Listen, we try to keep family matters personal, you know what I mean? And I respect him for that. Had I known, probably I would have tried to tell him otherwise, but I did not.”
Alexander used the incident to highlight what he described as a worrying trend of domestic-related violence.
“It’s sad when it reaches to that stage where families are reaching to that extent,” he said, urging citizens to resolve conflicts before they escalate. “There are things sometimes—misunderstandings between people—and when you realise that, you fix it. It doesn’t have to reach to this.”
He stressed that stronger family relationships are key to preventing crime, calling on parents to take a more active role in raising children.
“The parent is the foundation from where everything comes from. You must go back there to start,” he said, announcing that a series of parenting workshops will be launched this week as part of a broader crime prevention strategy.
Alexander added that while murders often dominate public concern, not all killings stem from organised criminal activity.
“If you break down the murders… this will go down as a murder, but what is it really? Domestic-related,” he said, appealing to the public to “hold faith” as the Government continues its anti-crime efforts.
Addressing concerns from the business community about rising crime, the minister acknowledged that some business owners feel forced to close operations but emphasised that tackling crime is a long-term process.
“You can’t get up one morning and crime is gone. Everything is a process and that process takes time,” he said, encouraging citizens to share information with law enforcement.
Reflecting on his first year in office, Alexander said he is satisfied with efforts to rebuild national security institutions, though he noted that the public will ultimately judge the Government’s performance.
“There must be improvement, and the public must benefit from that improvement,” he said.
Ghany Junior was shot multiple times in the chest in what police believe to be a domestic killing. A female relative told police she acted in self-defence while protecting her two young daughters, whom Ghany Junior allegedly threatened to kill at their Vistabella home. She handed over a licensed firearm used in the killing. Her attorney, Prakash Ramadhar, declined comment, while senior police officers said the woman is in custody.
