By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

POLICE are following a number of “good leads” into the murder of the brother of DNA leader Branville McCartney, but feel a key witness is still holding out.

One day after launching a public appeal for information into Kurt McCartney’s death, Superintendent Stephen Dean announced that up to $1,000 is being offered for relevant information.

He emphasised that people can come forward anonymously, and don’t even have to contact police if they prefer to speak to a community leader such as a priest or pastor who can withhold their identity.

“Police remain hopeful someone will have the courage to come forward with information that will solve this case and are appealing to anyone with information, no matter how small or insignificant the tip may seem, to call Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS (8477) in New Providence or 300-8476 in the Family Islands.

Meanwhile, Mr Dean said, police are following tips and “several persons have been questioned.”

“People are calling in,” he said. “We are still looking for the person or persons responsible. We are not sure if it was one person acting by himself or if there were others.”

Mr Dean emphasised that contrary to social media reports, no arrests have been made in the matter – several persons have merely been questioned.

He said four of those persons included two men ages 40 and 35 and two teenage girls ages 17 and 19. They all live in Gambier Village where Mr McCartney was found dead.

The McCartney family has yet to speak publicly about their loss.

But PLP chairman Bradley Roberts yesterday expressed dismay at what had happened. He said: “I knew Kurt personally, and the death was tragic and based on what I’m hearing about what happened, all I could say is we got some real problems to address with our young people. It’s diabolical.”

Mr McCartney was pronounced dead at the scene on Thursday after he was discovered lying face down.

According to family members, he received a phone call earlier that night from a young woman who had allegedly threatened to kill him. He was said to have informed a close friend that he was going to “deal” with it and left to visit the girl in Gambier Village.

Police, however, said they have no evidence suggesting he received death threats before he was killed.

“If there is any such information, I think people need to come forward. We encourage them to come talk to us,” said Assistant Commissioner of Police Anthony Ferguson.

Mr McCartney’s vehicle was found almost 200 yards east of the scene – at the corner of Bahamia West – abandoned on the side of the road.

According to a neighbour at that location, security footage showed that two young women got out of Mr McCartney’s vehicle, walked along the beach, and were picked up by another car some distance up the road.

However, Superintendent Melvin Lundy, acting chief of the Central Detective Unit, said police have no knowledge of any security footage in the area.

In the wake of Mr McCartney’s death, Prime Minister Perry Christie said: “This is a perfect example of a young successful Bahamian man whose life is one of success through hard work and achievement, and for whatever reason he has met this untimely death clearly most unexpected. Very tragic in its implications but a profound lesson to those of us who are responsible for public policy, and to all of our countrymen and women who oftentimes tend to believe that it is just those people over there who become perpetrators and victims and never us. But this now is another reminder that one of us has been killed.”

Yesterday, former journalist and family spokesperson Jerome Sawyer said the family had not yet indicated when an official statement would be forthcoming.