By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT

tsmith-cartwright@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was shot dead in Harbour Island Friday night in an area that local MP Rickey Mackey said might be a drug-related incident.

Mr Mackey, who represents North Eleuthera, said he is hopeful the murder can be solved quickly and be “put behind us” for the good of the recovering island.

Police said shortly after 10pm they were told about a shooting that had occurred on Barrett Street. When they arrived on the scene, officers said they found a man lying on the ground outside a home. The man, suffering from what appeared to be gunshot wounds, was examined and later pronounced dead by a local doctor. It is the 13th homicide this year, according to this newspaper’s records. So far, no arrests have been made.

When contacted yesterday, Mr Mackey said, “It is believed to be drug-related. That’s basically all I can and would say at this time. Well, like any other well developed area in The Bahamas, drugs (are) an issue. I wouldn’t venture to say that the island is drug infested, but it has its issues.

“Unfortunately, unlike the traditional businesses where we can provide competition for each other, it appears that in this particular field that sometimes rather than reason, these different individuals or factions have a tendency to be a bit violent.”

The Tribune contacted Harbour Island police for more details, but was told the officer in charge was the only one who could speak about the incident. Officers said he was “not in at the moment”. No call was returned.

Mr Mackey does not think the incident represents a drug turf war and said it does not come at a good time when the island is hoping to attract tourists in its recovery from the economic effects of COVID.

“That is not to say that we have a turf war going on,” he continued. “I don’t believe that to be the case. However, more and more some of the Family Islands are faced with these situations. One of the things they (drug dealers) like to talk about is respect and turf and those sorts of things, but I hope that we could come to grips with this situation and definitely put it behind us.

“Every business venture now in this country has been reeling from the effects of COVID-19 and we don’t need anything that will prohibit the speedy recovery of those different businesses or communities. I really don’t think it’s an uprising problem on the island. I think it is irregular. Obviously what we have experienced is what has been happening in Nassau. So you may start to have a spill over into the Family Islands.”

The North Eleuthera MP is calling on residents of Harbour Island who might know what happened to contact local police and give them information to assist with their ongoing investigation.

“I am not of the view that this is going to be the new norm for Harbour Island. It is an unfortunate situation and the police are investigating,” Mr Mackey said. “When last I was advised they said they had some suspicions on who may be involved. They will continue their investigation and ensure that the perpetrator or perpetrators will be caught.

“My concern, going forward, is that those who may be aware of the incident may come forward and provide the necessary information to the police so that we can put this behind us. We are just now moving in the direction where our numbers are increasing in terms of the tourist product here on Harbour Island. This is certainly not something that we would want to be associated with our island.”

He thinks, for the most part, that crime is not a major issue for the North Eleuthera constituency. He said there are occasional incidents of residents fighting and a home invasion here and there, but crime is not widespread.

The Tribune also asked Mr Mackey if he was seeking to be re-elected to represent North Eleuthera. Yes, he said, as he still has work to complete.

“Most certainly, I have every intention to run again,” he said. “There are quite a bit of things that we have been able to accomplish, but there is still an incomplete list to which I hope to be able to do that would better my community.”