Man shot and killed on East St South; 3rd murder in 48hrs

Man shot and killed on East St South; 3rd murder in 48hrs
Mortuary services personnel remove the body of the victim from the scene

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A man was shot and killed minutes before the daily 10pm curfew outside a liquor store on East Street South Friday night, police said.

According to reports, a group of people was gathered in front of the establishment when a white vehicle pulled up.

Police said two men got out of the car and opened fire on the crowd, hitting at least one man.

ASP Audley Peters said the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Peters could not indicate whether the man was targeted or whether any other person was shot in the incident.

“We are following some leads to determine the root cause of this incident,” he said.

Police appealed to members of the public who may have any information on the matter.

The latest killing is the third murder in the past 48 hours.

Peters said he could not indicate whether any of the three incidents were connected.

“We are seeking out all of the information so that we can correlate them and determine the root cause, the intent and motive for the reason it happened.”

He said while people were gathered despite COVID-19 protocols, the primary purpose was to safeguard the scene, preserve evidence and gather all of the information that was necessary to bring the matter to a quick closure for all those concerned.

Peters noted, however, there is concern about the orders being followed given the closeness to curfew and the number of people at such establishments.

“Persons should do their part in alleviating the country’s burden with respect to this COVID-19 situation that we are facing.”

Asked whether police are expecting an uptick in crime given the holiday season and relaxed restrictions, Peters added, “The reality is we don’t expect it, we are prepared for any eventuality.

“You have heard me say earlier in the week that we have deployed people strategically to address areas that we historically know would be a concern for us during this time of the season.

“Not only will we do our part, but we expect members of the public to do their part as well, in particular, those persons who know individuals who may be in possession of firearms, contraband, to call the police, inform us to do our part to prevent senseless killing and to prevent crime from happening against persons or property.”

About Sloan Smith

Sloan Smith is a senior digital reporter at Eyewitness News, covering a diverse range of beats, from politics and crime to environment and human interest. In 2018, Sloan received a nomination for the “Leslie Higgs Feature Writer of The Year Award” from The Bahamas Press Club for her work with Eyewitness News.