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Tuesday, July 7, 2009

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Police close to filing charges in Dewitt Butler murder By STAFF WRITER ~ Guardian News Desk: The police may be in a position to charge someone with the murder of Dewitt Butler within the next several days, according to Assistant Superintendent Leon Bethel, who heads the homicide division. Bethel said detectives have received several first-hand accounts from people who were on the scene of the shooting. Police are making "significant strides" in the murder investigation, he said. "Several witnesses have come forward. The public is assisting us greatly. Right now we are following some good leads, so we believe that we will clear this matter up very soon," Bethel said. Butler, 36, was shot in the head and other parts of the body around 8 p.m. on Monday following a dispute during a gambling game and died a short time later in hospital, police reported. Police said Butler and his assailant were gambling with other people when they got into an altercation. After an "exchange of words" the man believed to be responsible for the shooting reportedly left promising to return, ASP Bethel told The Nassau Guardian following the incident. "He returned minutes later producing a handgun, fired several shots, hitting the victim once to the head, once to the neck and once to [another area] of his body," Bethel said. The outdoor gambling game was taking place on East Street just north of Coconut Grove Avenue, he added. The assailant reportedly escaped on foot, said police. Butler's death brought the murder count to 37 for the year. Thursday, July 2, 2009