By JUAN McCARTNEY, Guardian Senior Reporter, juan@nasguard.com

Sixteen-year-old Khodee Davis lost his life during an altercation between a group of other young males on Paradise Island yesterday afternoon.

When The Guardian's news team arrived at the scene, Khodee, a Grade 11 student of Temple Christian School, was seen at the entrance to Cabbage Beach lying on his back, his hand clutching his chest where police say he was stabbed.

Dozens of onlookers watched from behind yellow crime scene tape as officers documented the event.

Khodee's mother was overcome with grief and reportedly fainted earlier. His father Derek Davis, a prominent bus franchise, trucking service and club owner declined to comment. Several of Khodee's family members were also at the scene; they had reportedly also been at Cabbage Beach when the incident occurred.

Khodee, a resident of Reeves Street, Fox Hill, was reportedly attempting to break up a fight between some friends and another group of boys and was stabbed during the altercation, according to onlookers.

Said Assistant Superintendent of Police Joseph Feaste, officer in charge of the Paradise Island police station: "Around 4 p.m. we received information that there was an altercation between two groups of men. When we arrived on the scene, we discovered that a young male was lying on his back deceased. At this time, that is all we have so far. The investigation is continuing."

Feaste added that Khodee appeared to have been stabbed about the upper body.

Several onlookers said that about a dozen young men were involved in the altercation, which they said was interrupted by police officers who fired warning shots into the air.

"That cannot be confirmed. I would have to look into that further," Feaste said.

The young men reportedly dispersed after the shots were fired and police were able to apprehend several people.

"We have some persons in for questioning but we cannot give any definite answer as to say whether or not they were involved," said Feaste, who added that homicides are an extremely rare occurrence on Paradise Island, home to the Atlantis Resort, one of the most popular destinations in the Caribbean and the largest private employer in The Bahamas, the RIU Resort and Comfort Suites Hotel, among other properties.

"This is isolated, and we're concerned. It doesn't happen often, this is really one in a very long time," he said.

"As a tourist destination, we do all we can to ensure that our number one industry is protected. We try to do as best as we can."

Khodee's relatives said his mother was planning to send him off to boarding school in Canada in a few months.

His death marked the 27th homicide for 2008.

The last reported homicides on Paradise Island occurred in August 1998 when the bodies of Joanne Clarke (a British citizen), and Lori Fogelman (an American citizen) were found in bushes on the edge of a beach on the island.

Tennel McIntosh was arrested and charged with the murder of the two women and went through several trials.

He was eventually convicted of the manslaughter of Fogelman in June 2002.