UPDATED: Police probe spate of New Providence killings

By RIEL MAJOR

Tribune Staff Reporter 

rmajor@tribunemedia.net

By RIEL MAJOR

Tribune Staff Reporter 

rmajor@tribunemedia.net

POLICE are investigating six new homicides after two men were found with gunshot injuries in a space of 12 hours and a man who was shot on Saturday died in hospital - then a shooting last night claimed another life and a man and woman were found dead early this morning.

This means there have been 12 recorded murders so far this month, doubling the total number of murders police recorded in September 2018, which was five. 

A man was found dead on Johnson Road, off Eastern road yesterday morning. The killing came hours after a man was shot in front of a home on First Street, Coconut Grove and died in the hospital on Sunday night. Police also reported yesterday that a man who had been shot in Chippingham shortly after 7am on Saturday has died in hospital. He has been identified by police as Dencil Gaitor, 45, of Eden Street. 

Last night, shortly after 8pm, a group of men were standing outside a home on Armbrister Street, Fox Hill, when a silver vehicle pulled up and the occupants opened fired in their direction hitting three of them, before speeding away. Two men received non-life threatening injuries and were transported to hospital, while a third man succumbed to his injures on the scene.

And, shortly after 4am on Tuesday, police responded to an apartment complex on Gladstone Road, where they discovered a man and woman unresponsive with injuries. Paramedics were called and attempted to revive them but they were pronounced dead at the scene

The killings pushed the murder count to 75 for the year, according to this newspaper’s records, an increase of four percent compared to this same period last year.

The Tribune’s records show that as of September 16, 2018, the country’s murder count stood at 69. 

Chief Superintendent Solomon Cash said shortly after 7am, police responded to reports of gunshots at Johnson Road across from Kelly Lane. 

 “Once the officers arrived on the scene, they met the lifeless body of a male who was lying in the parking lot of this apartment complex. The officers contacted EMS who came and pronounced the male deceased on scene,” Chief Supt Cash said. 

“The only information that we are working with is that shortly after 7am, the male was in this area standing, we suspect he was waiting on a ride and he was approached by two individuals who were in a Japanese-type vehicle.” 

He added: “They emerged from the vehicle and opened fire on him. We can tell you that we suspect the victim is a security officer. We don’t know exactly what company he works for.” 

CSP Cash could not say whether the victim was known to police. He also made an appeal to the general public to contact police with any information that could help the investigation.  

The Tribune understands the deceased is Jermaine Edwards, 45, however, his identity was not released by police.  

When asked if police will beef up patrols in the area, CSP Cash said: “That is always (our) strategy. Our patrols are current and in an advanced stage. You see officers up and about in all communities, that is one of our strategies and we don’t relent engaging that strategy. 

“We are always concerned about homicides. One killing is one too many but I can say the more recent ones, we can say there (is) some nexus with four of those particular homicides and we are currently following some significant leads on those ones.”

On Sunday, police received reports of gunshots at First Street, Coconut Grove around 7pm, CSP Cash said. 

He added: “A male was standing in that location when he was approached by persons in a (white) Japanese type vehicle who opened fire on him. That individual was transported to the Accident and Emergency Room at Princess Margaret (Hospital) where he later succumbed to those injuries.”

CSP Cash was unable to say whether the two latest murders were connected. 

Police said the victim in Sunday’s shooting is Anthony Anton Wright, 39.

On September 7, police reported that they were investigating four separate shooting incidents from September 6 that left four people dead and eight others in hospital. Police said the four deceased men are Franklyn Antonio Rolle, 32; Dwight Miller, 35; Marcus Sweeting, 41, and Jimmy Augustin, 26. The following day, police also reported that a man who was shot while at St Alban’s Drive had died in hospital. He has been identified as Te’Shaz Michael Cartwright, 27.

Three days later, police confirmed a man was killed in Eight Mile Rock, Grand Bahama on September 4. He has been identified as Clayton Bannister. 

Police said a man, who was killed on August 24 in James Cistern, Eleuthera, is Dwayne Gordon Rolle, 27.