NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Two days after two separate shooting incidents unfolded in the capital, police are still actively searching for the culprits.
The most recent incident unfolded at 7th Street, the Grove sometime after 9pm on Monday.
“When officers arrived, they met two men suffering from gunshot wounds. One man succumbed to his injuries on scene while the other man was taken to the hospital and is under heavy police guard,” revealed Supt. Audley Peters, Police Press Liaison.
“Police are following some leads at the moment and in due course, we should bring this matter to some conclusion.”
Less than twelve hours before that, police were called to the scene of another murder shortly after 11:00 am at a gas station which sits at the intersection of Madeira and Mackey Streets.
The victim, believed to be in his forties, was employed at the gas station through the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BDOCS) work placement programme.
Authorities said the inmate was soon to be released from prison before he was shot dead Monday morning.
“He was at the pump when he was approached by a lone gunman who shot him multiple times about the body. The culprit then made good his escape on foot into the surrounding community,” said Chief Supt. Michael Johnson, officer-in-charge of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
Authorities have not released the official identification of the two men who were shot dead on Monday.
Deputy police commissioner, Clayton Fernander, asserted during the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) week-in-review press briefing on Monday that authorities are making significant inroads in the war on crime.
“If you look at the month of March, every other day there was one right after the other, but; they (criminals) are seeing us and feeling us out there,” he asserted.
For his part, St Barnabas MP Shanendon Cartwright told Eyewitness News that government must take a more proactive approach in the crime fight.
“This is not a political issue, we have to put our heads together, all of the stakeholders, and come together. This is happening too often and I am sure that citizens are more than concerned now as these incidents continue to happen,” he said.
Cartwright noted that the government recently held a crime conclave to strategize on how to tackle the uptick in crime, and questioned how effective those talks have been in addressing the current social ill.
“It was a good initial first step but the country is still waiting on comprehensive plans,” Cartwright said.
“The people don’t just want optics they want tactics.”
