As crime continues to escalate and innocent people lose their lives at the hands of gunmen, the pressure is on the police to clamp down on criminals.
Since Jan. 1, there have been eight people murdered on New Providence and three murders on Grand Bahama.
Last year, domestic violence was the main cause of murder in The Bahamas but, for 2003, the main motive seems to be armed robbery.
The murder toll is up over last year, when by mid-February there were only five dead.
All murder victims this year have been male, between the ages of 12 and 66, killed with guns and the majority in robberies or attempted robberies.
The population of the Bahamas at the last census in 2002 was 311, 871. For such a small nation, compared with other areas of the world with a similar population, the murder rate is outstandingly high.
Marvin Dames, superintendent of the Central Detective Unit, said in a report on Jan. 8 that domestic violence ranked as the leading cause of murders in 2002, accounting for 32 of the 52 killings in the country.
Toledo, Ohio, with a population of 313,619, had 32 murders last year, which police attributed to a rise in unemployment and people turning to drug dealing.
An increase in unemployment could be a contributing factor to the rise of crime in The Bahamas coupled with a disrespect for police authority.
Deputy Commissioner of Police John Rolle said in the yearend report that “we have been able to bring to closure more than 77 percent of all murders committed throughout The Bahamas in 2002.”
This year police there are two murders in New Providence and two on Grand Bahama in which charges have not been laid.
Anthony Rolle ﾖ1st murder in 2003 on New Providence.
Anthony Rolle was killed on New Year’s Day. Cardinal Jermaine Fernander, 19, of Bamboo Town, was charged with his murder. A preliminary inquiry is set to commence on May 1 before Magistrate Linda Virgill. Mr. Rolle had been shot repeatedly on Pohlemus Street.
2nd Murder ﾖ Darron LaFluer
Darron LaFluer found dead in the area of Blue Hill Road South with gunshot wounds to his head. Police say they are following significant leads. but this case remains open.
3rd murder ﾖ Kendall Brennen
Kendall Brennen, 29, of Augusta Street was shot to death on Jan. 11 at about 6:30 p.m. as he was seated on a wall on Rupert Dean Lane off Meadow Street. The shots hit him in his neck and head.
Kevin Hart, 22, of Rupert Dean Lane was charged with his murder on Jan. 20 in Court 5 before Magistrate Marilyn Meeres. A date of May 5 was set for commencement of a preliminary inquiry.
4th murder ﾖ Elmer Martin Knowles
Around 3:15 a.m. on Jan. 12, Elmer Martin Knowles, 38, of Henry Street was found dead in street in the Montell Heights area. He had been shot twice.
Charged with the slaying is Chananardo Woodside, 26, of Montell Heights, who appeared before Magistrate Marilyn Meeres of Court 5 on Jan. 15. A preliminary inquiry was set to commence on April 15.
5th Murder ﾖ Eddison Curtis- Johnson
Eddison Curtis, 12, was shot dead as he watched television with his mother and another sibling in his Fox Hill on Jan. 15. Roger Watson was charged on Jan. 20 in Court 5, before Magistrate Marilyn Meeres.
A preliminary inquiry was set for April 28.
6th Murder ﾖ Dwight Miller
Dwight Miller, 25, of Washington Street, became the nations’ sixth murder when he was shot several times in the abdomen shortly after 9 p.m. on Jan. 17, in the area of Augusta Street, Bain Town.
Jensal Roberts, 20, of Market and Hay Streets was charged before Magistrate Marilyn Meeres of Court 5 on Jan. 24, with killing Mr. Miller. Attorney Willie Moss Jr. represented the accused man and a preliminary inquiry was set for April 30.
7th Murder ﾖ Stephen Fowler
Andros businessman Stephen Fowler, 34, was killed Jan. 22 at the Pineapple Lounge off Farrington Road in the Rock Crusher area. Fowler, his nephew, and two men were playing dominoes when two armed men entered the establishment at about 1:30 a.m. and demanded cash from the patrons. Police believe that after everyone was ordered on the floor Mr. Fowler tried to make his escape towards an exit, but he was shot in the chest. He died at the scene.
His family described Mr. Fowler as a “nice person.”
On Feb. 7, Owen Colebrooke was charged before Magistrate Marilyn Meeres with killing Mr. Fowler on the mentioned date. A preliminary inquiry was set for June 3 through June 6.
1st murder for Grand Bahama and
8th for The Bahamas ﾖ Frantz Guerrier
On Feb. 2, the island of Grand Bahama recorded its first murder, that of Frantz Guerrier, 39, former circulation manager at the Freeport News. He was shot and killed in a botched robbery attempt outside of the Fawcette Lane home he shared with his father.
No one has been arrested and police are continuing their investigation.
9th murder ﾖ James Morrison Bethel
Nassau businessman James Morrison Bethel, 43, became the nation’s ninth murder victim after being shot in the chest by two men who attempted to rob him. The killing occurred Feb. 8, in the parking lot of Tropical Nursery and Pet Supplies on Village Road. Mr. Bethel was the proprietor of T-Rex T-shirt company and Creative Edge Advertising.
Police continue their investigations into the shooting death. They have released composite sketches of two men believed to be the killers of Mr. Bethel.
Arne Petersen ﾖ 2nd murder for the island of Grand Bahama and 10th for The Bahamas
Prominent investor Arne Petersen, 66, became Grand Bahama’s second murder victim and The Bahamas’ 10th murder victim when he was shot inside his home on Feb. 9.
Police said that some time after 9 p.m. two men climbed a two-storey balcony of Petersen’s Jolly Drive home, where he and his long-time female companion were in bed watching television. The men, one armed with a handgun and the other with a knife, kicked in the couple’s bedroom door and demanded cash. Petersen complied and handed over the cash, but according to Superintendent Basil Rahming, the men headed downstairs after an alarm went off.
The gunman was ordered by the man with the knife to go back and shoot Petersen, who was hit in the chest and later died at Princess Margaret Hospital.
Police are continuing their investigations in the shooting death.
3rd murder in Grand Bahama and 11th in The Bahamas ﾖ Donahue Nathaniel Ferguson
On Feb. 10, after police discovered the body of Donahue Ferguson in a pool of blood on a street, police arrested three men.
Police confirmed reports of a disturbance in a house at Yorkshire Drive in South Bahamia around 8:40 p.m.
Assistant Superintendent Clyde Nixon, officer in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department, Mr. Ferguson had a deep laceration in his left arm and that police were told he had been attacked by two men with an ax.
Police said that after the assault, Mr. Ferguson left ito seek medical attention but he only made it 400 yards before he crashed his car into bushes.
He flagged down a motorist, who turned around and found the man lying in a pool of blood.
An ambulance was summoned to the scene, but Mr. Ferguson was pronounced dead at the scene.
By Jimenita Swain, The Nassau Guardian
