Wednesday, October 2, 2019
By RIEL MAJOR
Tribune Staff Reporter
rmajor@tribunemedia.net
POLICE are investigating a drive-by shooting that left one man dead and another one injured and in hospital.
According to reports, shortly after 4pm Monday, two men were sitting outside a business on Charles Saunders Highway and Buttonwood Street when two armed men, in a grey coloured car, opened fire in their direction, hitting them before fleeing the scene.
One man died at the scene while the other was taken to hospital and is listed in stable condition.
Fifteen murders were recorded in September, according to The Tribune’s records, with this latest killing pushing the murder count to 78 for the year. In September 2018, police recorded five murders.
Speaking to reporters outside Cabinet yesterday, National Security Minister Marvin Dames didn’t express confidence that the country would meet his target of less than 85 murders this year, but he insisted there have been improvements in reducing crime.
Mr Dames said: “I’m pleased that we’re moving in the right direction. It’s going to take some time to fix them and as you know in previous years, we would have been on a 100 or going over 100 (murders) so we are at a place where we are seeing some positive signs. We’ll continue to work on those. We still have a way to go in this country, but things are in fact improving.
“Our job is to police this entire country; our job is to govern this entire country. We are not going to look for excuses, we just have to look at how we can improve on things and how we can adjust. Governance, this is very dynamic (and) we did not expect this, but this is where we are. And so, as the government we must rise to the occasion and we are seeking to do that.”
Mr Dames said police officers have a lot of work to do but there are “a lot of positive things” coming with the Royal Bahamas Police Force and other connected agencies.
“This is not only a police force fight and we must always be cognizant of that. As I continue to say, what we are seeing taking place in this country is the manifestation of our neglect over decades.”
Earlier in the year, Mr Dames had his sights set on a murder count below 85 by the end of this year.
The minister’s goal, outlined outside Cabinet at the time, was more ambitious than the one in the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit report that said the Minnis administration wants a murder reduction to 85 by 2021.
“This is a measurement as in any and all countries you set standards. I think it is that we would like to see the murder count at 85,” Mr Dames said previously.
“I contend that while we have that as a measurement and this is what any developed country will do, set measurements and standards for their agencies which is a good thing, I applaud the prime minister who actually was the one with the vision to bring about and to introduce the delivery unit to the Bahamas. It was first started I believe in the UK some years ago, which is absolutely important.”
He continued: “Our objective is to get those numbers as low as we can every year and I would like to see it below 85 by the end of this year. That is what I would like to see and that’s what the police would like to see.”
The country closed 2018 with 91 reported murders. This was the first time since 2010, when 94 people were murdered, that fewer than 100 murders were recorded in a single year.
Comments
Godson says...
What are the underpinning fuel to these conflicts whereby our people think the opposing party should be killed?
Where are the leaders to teach different?... political and otherwise?
Since these men & women put forward themselves, in every respect, to be the leaders of our Country, they should be out there sounding principles and implementing policies to enlighten these wayward persons.
THEY ARE THE ONES WHO ASK FOR THE JOB AND THEY ARE THE ONES WHO ARE BEING PAID TO DO IT!!! **BUT THEY CAN'T DO IT AND ARE NOT EVEN TRYING BY REACHING OUT TO THESE LOST SOULS.**
How much longer would we continue to elect the inept, unqualified and incapable to lead our Country... in this context, DNA is no different.
Posted 2 October 2019, 9:49 a.m. Suggest removal
Chucky says...
Well as you know, we have to have Bahamian citizens in parliament. So as for how much longer we continue to elect the inept, unqualified and incapable, might I ad corrupt; well this shall continue until such time as we raise more worthy people, or allow non citizens to run this country.
Can argue and profess that we are a country with plenty of worthy candidates, but the evidence for that is yet to bare any fruit.
Not that it’s of any comfort, but most nations with similar history and limited gene pools are in the same predicaments; the odd successful one is the anomaly.
We are where these circumstance would have us be.
Ask yourself, in what circumstance is a doctor or a lawyer the best candidate to lead a nation. Clearly the circumstance persists when no viable alternative is present; ie we have nobody worthy.
Posted 2 October 2019, 10:48 a.m. Suggest removal
Godson says...
Your reply is well stated. I add, however, that I am an ex-convict; and notwithstanding, I am qualified, willing and able to hold office as such; and on my life, I will succeed. Thank you.
Posted 2 October 2019, 2:02 p.m. Suggest removal
Ton_Heijnmans says...
There is video footage of an assassination death Squad that we located at an address on the internet.
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The footage appears to show this grey estate-model auto appear at a location on Blueberry Hill (off Fox Hill) c.20 minutes before midnight monday 6 sept 2019. **Exactly one week following D-Day**.
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Travelling down hill, the auto bursts onto the scene and before halting, the occupants are already shooting in every direction, like they're fired-up on drugs and alcohol (at least 12 discharges strike a nearby wall). Ammunition being costly, appears to be a well funded operation. Most certainly not executed by anyone with any formal OPs training.
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It is a residential area and appears to be in blackout. **Every single person visible in the opening images appears clearly to be a target of the hit squad**; which informs **either a Turf War, or a Sectarian Terrorist Attack**.
▪︎One person, in particular, is singled out by the Death Squal. This individual, walking down the road calmly as the reel begins, is struck during the initial hail of rounds being fired all-sides as the Silver Estate-Model car screeches to a halt. The video appears to show two members of the **Death Squad** exit the auto and, while discharging rounds at all fleeing, ducking and diving persons, they approach one wounded, crawling man, and
discharge enough rounds into his body that would expire a small elephant. More than that we do not know.
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The incident went practically unreported as it occurred during the first week of the shocktrauma that debilitated all of the living located on that Archipelago during **The First 28-Days**; when the hormonal, post-unprepared-shock-calamity **human psychological-urge** to forget everything around one, is at its *most intense*.
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Lastly. The U-Turn policy shift towards a nazionalistche centric and unbelievably callous policy of **state-encouraged xenophobia and Sectarian Hatred**, and most of all, the despicable verbally nauseating-statements from your peoples' political leaders is going to hurt you people in ways not even Dorian could.
Utterly shocking terrorists.
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**Savage!**
Posted 2 October 2019, 8:25 p.m. Suggest removal
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