By JADE RUSSELL


Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net


CHAOTIC scenes erupted in Kemp Road yesterday morning after police shot and killed a man in his early 30s during a high-speed chase that scattered residents and sent officers swarming through narrow lanes.


Police said the dead man was the only suspect struck as the vehicle’s other three occupants fled on foot.


By mid-morning, crowds pressed against fences and clustered outside a yard, trying to piece together what happened. Some residents said they heard gunfire; others were unsure what sparked the confrontation. Children played nearby or stared from windows as officers cordoned off the scene. One mother, shaken, said the commotion dredged up the trauma of losing her own son to a police shooting two years ago.


When The Tribune arrived, residents and reporters had climbed onto a house roof for a clear view as investigators examined the suspects’ battered silver vehicle, which had shattered windows and a torn-off front bumper.


Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Roberto Goodman said officers initially responded to a ShotSpotter alert around 9am reporting gunfire on St James Road. A patrol was dispatched, and shortly after, police received reports of a silver vehicle discharging firearms in the area.
Officers located the car, triggering a chase that ended at Cooper’s Terrace. The four male occupants allegedly opened fire.


“The officers then engaged those persons in safety for their own lives, where shots were returned at that vehicle,” ACP Goodman said. 

“Three of the persons were able to run from that vehicle. One of the persons was shot in the vehicle was fatally shot in the vehicle by police officers.”


Emergency services pronounced the man dead at the scene. Her Majesty’s Coroner attended. ACP Goodman said officers will review surveillance footage and nearby cameras as the investigation continues.
No officers were injured, though a police vehicle allegedly sustained multiple bullet strikes. 

A firearm was allegedly recovered from the front section of the suspects’ vehicle. ACP Goodman said the deceased — believed to have been driving — was not previously known to police.
The chase began on St James Road, and police reported no bystander injuries.


The shooting follows a violent spate in the area. Last week, three men were shot on Apache Alley, off Kemp Road, shortly after 10pm on November 16. A 22-year-old was found with gunshot injuries and taken to hospital by ambulance; two others, aged 35 and 25, arrived by private vehicle. 

Asked whether that attack was linked to yesterday’s chase, ACP Goodman said it was too early to tell.


In September, relatives of 24-year-old Eric Smith told The Tribune he was killed in Kemp Road while trying to shield children from gunfire. Mr Smith and two others were shot around 3pm near St James and Kemp Roads. One victim died at the scene; Mr Smith died in hospital; a 71-year-old was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

According to the Royal Bahamas Police Force’s mid-year crime report, there were four police-involved shootings between January 1 and June 30.


ACP Goodman also used the incident to issue safety warnings ahead of the holiday season. 

“Particularly those persons who are, at nighttime, parking up by their residence while still on the phone late in the night, persons who still pulling up to beaches late in the night, I still want to just caution them take the necessary precaution to ensure safety for their own lives and for their property," he said.