Senator appeals for Fox Hill mass shooting trial to progress

Senator appeals for Fox Hill mass shooting trial to progress
Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Senator Fred Mitchell.

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate Fred Mitchell yesterday appealed for Attorney General Carl Bethel to assist in advancing the trial of three men accused of a mass shooting in Fox Hill in 2013 that killed four people and injured seven others.

“It’s now going on eight years since that happened and we can’t get a trial,” Mitchell said.

“And as I said there, they started a trial, but due to the pandemic in August, the trial stopped…and now they have to start all over again.

“And of course, the farther away you go from the date, the quality of the evidence deteriorates.

“The issue is always, if you don’t have some resolution — you know this was a meeting about peace — some justice, there is not likely to be peace.

“So, I appeal to you to see if that matter can be brought along, some resolution be brought to that particular case for those four people who lost their lives in December on Freedom Park in Fox Hill.”

Mitchell was the MP for Fox Hill at the time of the mass shooting.

Claudezino Davis, Shaquille Demeritte, Eric Morrison and Shenique Sands were killed on December 27, 2013.

Jermaine Curry, Peter Rolle and Justin Williams are on trial for the murders and attempted murders of Chino Davis, Janet Davis, John Davis, Benjamin Demeritte, Samuel Ferguson, Jermaine Pratt and Leroy Taylor, on the same day.

According to reports, a crowd of people was gathered at the park awaiting Junkanoo results, when the occupants of a small dark vehicle opened fire “with a variety of weapons” in the area just behind the basketball court shortly before 6pm.

The trial began in January 2020 and was ongoing up to mid-March 2020.

The director of public prosecutions is responsible for prosecuting defendants.

The onset of the coronavirus pandemic exacerbated the backlog of cases in the Supreme Court.

The official opening of the new legal year was recognized earlier last month.

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”.