By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

TWO men are dead and nine other people are fighting for their lives in hospital after a spree of shooting incidents in the capital over the New Year’s holiday weekend.

Another man, who was stabbed in December in Abaco, also died of his injuries in the Princess Margaret Hospital over the weekend, pushing the 2015 year end homicide count to 149, according to The Tribune’s records.

Up to press time, the country’s murder count for the first three days of 2016 stood at two.

The latest incident took place shortly before 5am on Sunday in the area of Montagu Beach, when a married couple and two men were shot by gunmen who sprayed bullets at their car.

According to Chief Superintendent Paul Rolle, officer-in-charge of the Central Detective Unit, the husband and wife were with two other men when unknown persons opened fire on them.

“The victims were in a Dodge Caravan on East Bay Street near Village Road when the occupants of a white Honda pulled up on the side of them and fired several shots into the Caravan before speeding off in an unknown direction,” Chief Supt Rolle said.

“The male driver was pronounced dead on the scene. Two male passengers and a female passenger were taken to hospital where they remain in serious, but stable condition.”

Chief Supt Rolle said police have no motive for the shooting and no suspects currently in custody.

Police have not identified the deceased victim but The Tribune understands he is Michael Deangelo Bethel, the owner of Snappers Restaurant located in the area of Prince Charles Drive.

Yesterday, Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell expressed his sorrow that the “productive” businessman and “contributor to the Fox Hill economy” had been shot dead.

“I join the Bahamas in expressing deep sorrow and outrage and pledge to continue to do all that I can to fight crime,” Mr Mitchell said in a statement. “In this world when positive examples are few and far between, it was a wonder to watch without government interference this young man develop that business in Fox Hill, Snappers, and make a go of it.

“His death now will affect so many families, including his own. It comes on the heels of a week of gun violence and carnage in the village of Fox Hill which led to the death of a young man, Ricardo Cunningham, while at a party in Monastery Park and the shooting of two others in various corners in Fox Hill. It comes two years after four people were gunned down in their innocence on the Freedom Park. This is not good. The community is losing faith if they have not already lost it,” Mr Mitchell said.

The other homicide took place shortly after 2am on Saturday off Kemp Road.

According to police, a group of persons were standing outside a local bar on Kemp and Wulff Roads, when three men armed with firearms approached and fired several shots at them before fleeing in a white vehicle.

One man was pronounced dead at the scene and a woman, who was also shot, was taken to hospital.

Police have not identified the deceased victim in that shooting, but The Tribune understands he is Jacob Woodside.

Woodside was recently released from Her Majesty’s Prison for an attempted robbery.

In the stabbing incident, police said a 38-year-old man of Spring City, Abaco, was involved in an argument on December 22 with a man whom he knew when he was stabbed several times.

The victim was taken to the local clinic, but then airlifted to the capital for treatment where he died of his injuries on Friday.

He has been identified as Alfred Watkins.

Police have a 20-year-old male relative of the victim in custody in connection with the incident.

His death came after 38-year-old Jermaine Ferguson, of Golden Palms Estates, was shot dead on December 31.

The victim was attacked while at his Lily Drive home, hours after he argued with another man.

Police are also reporting three other shooting incidents that took place over the weekend.

In the first incident, shortly after 7pm on Friday, police said a man was sitting in a vehicle parked in front of a home on Plantol Street talking to another man, when a gunman approached and shot both men before fleeing on foot.

The two victims were taken to hospital where they remain in stable condition.

Later that evening, shortly after 9pm, a man was walking through a dirt road in Bel-Air Estates off Carmichael Road, when he was shot. The victim was taken to hospital where he remains in stable condition.

On Sunday, two men were shot around 2pm in the area of Woods Alley. They were taken to hospital and are in serious condition.

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