By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

POLICE have 60 persons in custody in connection with a drive by shooting in Fox Hill that left four persons dead and seven others in hospital.

Paul Rolle, Officer in Charge of the Central Detective Unit, said the 59 men and one woman, were arrested between Friday night and Saturday morning, after police found the vehicle they believed was used in the shooting. Supt Rolle said police also believe the mass shooting in Fox Hill is directly related to a murder that happened on Dorsett Street just 24 hours before.

“We believe that this incident stemmed from a murder that occurred on Thursday on Dorsett Street, where a young Jacoby Brown was shot and killed while sitting on the side of the street. Due to the quick response of the police, a short time after the murder officers located a vehicle that is believed to have been used in the shooting incident,” Supt Rolle said.

“I wish to thank the people of Fox Hill who provided and continue to provide information to the police in helping us to advance this investigation. Acting on this information from members within the community, the police from all areas were successful in taking some 60 suspects into custody in regard to the weekend murders. We have those persons and we are speaking to them in an effort to try and bring resolution to this murder in Fox Hill.”

Despite having such a large number of persons in custody, police are still asking for the public’s help in locating 27-year-old Amal Hunter, aka “Bow” of Williams Lane off Kemp Road and 25-year-old Carlos Colebrooke aka “Skuller” of Williams Street, Nassau Village, in connection with this incident.

According to reports, around 6pm on Friday, occupants of a small dark vehicle opened fire “with a variety of weapons” in the area just behind the basketball court where several persons were gathered awaiting Junkanoo results.

One man was pronounced dead on the scene and 10 others were taken to the hospital by private vehicles and ambulance.

Two men ages 37 and 19, with a 30-year-old woman, died of their injuries in hospital, one other person is in critical condition and the others are listed as stable.

The Tribune understands the victims are Shiqulle Demeritte, Eric Morrison, Claudzino Davis and Shenique Sands.

A short time later, police acting on intelligence recovered a 2000 Honda Accord, suspected of having been used in this incident on Bartlett Street in the area of Johnson Estates.

Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade, on the scene, offered condolences to the families of the victims. He also said police have now “drawn a line in the sand.”

“We have to stop this. We have been arresting young Bahamian men, and in many cases women, until we are blue in the face, in possession of illegal firearms of many descriptions – pistols, handguns, AK-47s. And notwithstanding their arrests and taking them to court, many of these people are back in our communities re-offending. They seem not to be afraid of the system, a line has to be drawn in the sand and I really believe that we are going to have to do that tonight,” he said.

“Unfortunately, we cannot bring these four people back, whom we have no reason to believe were doing anything wrong tonight. They were simply enjoying a peaceful evening which is their right to do, when people came into this community and left death in their wake. This is totally unacceptable in the Bahamas. This is totally tragic, and we are going to ensure with every ounce of my being that we pursue these people until we find them and bring them to justice.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 911 or 919, the Central Detective Unit at 502-9991 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 328-TIPS.