Man shot dead while sleeping in home

Man shot dead while sleeping in home

Murders down 20 percent

NASSAU, BAHAMAS- A man sleeping in a home on Sister Marie Rahming Drive was shot dead around 2 a.m. Friday after a gunman fired into the bedroom window of the home before running away, according to authorities.

The motive for the shooting remains unclear.

Police said emergency medical services personnel arrived on scene a short while after the incident, but were unable to save the victim, whose identity has yet to be released.

Between January 1, 2019 and June 16, 2019, there have been 39 murders in The Bahamas, representing a 20 percent decrease in murders.

Up to this point last year, there were 49 murders, according to Eyewitness News Online’s records.

Last Wednesday, the occupants of a silver Honda Fit pulled up alongside two men and a woman, who were in front of a convenience store on Dunmore Street, and opened fire, hitting of the men.

He died in hospital.

Surveillance footage of the incident made the rounds of social media.

During the budget debate last week, Minister of National Security Marvin Dames pointed out that for the first quarter of the year crime overall was down seven percent compared to the same period in 2018.

In addition tothe double digit decreases in key categories of crime, the minister pointed out that as of June 11, murders had trended downward 21 percent period-over-period — from 47 murders during the period in 2018 to 37 murders.

Twenty-five of the murders this year have been closed, according to authorities.

More specifically, crimes against the person was down 16 percent with a number of categories of crime dropping by double digits.

Armed robbery during the period dropped 20 percent; rape, 29 percent; unlawful sexual intercourse, three percent and robbery, nine percent.

Notwithstanding the downward trend, which has continued over last year, Dames cautioned the public, “We are a long way from achieving our objective of a crime free Bahamas”.

Shooting

In a separate incident last Friday, police reported that an armed man approached a group of women sitting outside a home in Flamingo Gardens around 11 p.m. Friday and began shooting.

One woman was shot and was listed in stable condition in hospital.

About Royston Jones Jr.

Royston Jones Jr. is a senior digital reporter and occasional TV news anchor at Eyewitness News. Since joining Eyewitness News as a digital reporter in 2018, he has done both digital and broadcast reporting, notably providing the electoral analysis for Eyewitness News’ inaugural election night coverage, “Decision Now 2021”.