A would-be armed robber is fighting for his life in the intensive care unit of the Princess Margaret Hospital after he was shot in the back by a store employee.
According to press officer Walter Evans the gunman, believed to be in his twenties, was wearing a hooded jacket when he entered Fergie’s Meat Market on East Street south shortly after 10 o’clock yesterday morning.
Armed with a handgun, he approached the counter and demanded money from the cashier.
As the cashier opened the drawer and was about to hand over cash, a second employee with a licensed gun walked up to the armed robber and fired several shots at his back. It is not known how many shots hit him. The suspect was rushed to the Princess Margaret Hospital where up to press time, he was in the intensive care unit.
It was unclear how many customers were in the store at the time of the incident. However when The Tribune arrived at the scene, a pool of blood at the front of the store was trickling out of the door. Curious onlookers were also at the scene.
Mr Evans noted that business owners need to pay attention to those persons who enter their facilities.
“Look at the nature of those persons who are coming in on the inside of their facilities and that may perhaps give them some indication.
“Observe persons closely, watch their movement, use your gut feeling and pay close attention to the description of the person, their movements and that may be some indication as to where they may be going.
“If they (persons) look suspicious they can respond by dialing 919 or they can contact the nearest police station. Officers will be happy to assist,” he said.
Mr Evans added that there are a number of security measures, small business owners can take to secure their premises. Police officers can also assist business owners in that regard he said.
He noted that many business owners think they can secure their premises with a licensed gun.
“It helps them to some extent and persons can apply to the Commissioner of Police and if there is a legitimate concern, the concerns will be considered,” he said.
However, said Mr Evans, the police do not want to send out a message that crime is at such a high level that personal guns are needed.
“We do have some concerns about crime in our community, because obviously if there is one crime, homicide or traffic fatality we are deeply concerned at the Royal Bahamas Police Force.
“We are concerned about crime on the whole, we are concerned about persons being robbed, persons being deprived of their personal possessions. There are persons who work hard, and there are persons who want to deprive them of their personal possessions. It’s unfair and we don’t condone that.”
Mr Evans said the matter is being investigated to determine whether any charges will be filed and if so what those charges might be.
There were more than 100 armed robberies for the first quarter of last year. While Mr Evans was not certain what the 2006 numbers were so far, he knew they were below the 2005 figure.
The Tribune
