Saturday, February 20, 2010

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Two shot dead in Bain Town By JIMENITA SWAIN ~ Guardian Senior Reporter ~ jimenita@nasguard.com: Two men were shot dead in Bain Town yesterday morning in what police believe may have been revenge killings. Police identified the men as Wilton Omar Smith, 30, of Roberts Drive, Bamboo Town, and Lashown Davis, 29, of Rupert Dean Lane, where the shootings occurred. Their slayings pushed the 2010 murder count to 10. According to Assistant Commissioner Glenn Miller, police were notified of the incident shortly after 10:15 a.m. "At least one person was seen walking up to one of the men; there was an exchange of words and the individual then pulled out a firearm...and a number of shots were fired at the first individual," Miller said. "A second individual who was nearby came to question him (the shooter) and this is when he was shot." Both men had multiple gunshot wounds to the body, he said. Although police believe the murders were revenge killings, no motive was confirmed, according to Miller. "What we are seeing are a number of drug houses popping up all over the place, particularly in this area and other areas of New Providence. I do feel that as a result of the proliferation of firearms on the streets, and the increase of drugs we have seen on the streets, we have seen this type of violence," he said. Miller also said in recent times there had been a crackdown on drug trafficking at the international level and on the streets. "We want to continue this as we move into the year to stop these killings," he said. Police were also investigating a report that a woman was almost run over at the scene by the suspect involved. The suspect was seen leaving the area on a motorcycle; he was described as being of a dark complexion and medium build, Miller said. The assistant commissioner added that even though police have taken some illegal firearms off the street more help is needed from the public. When asked if there was a link to the murder of 23-year-old Rashad Woodside, Miller said he could not say, but that inquiries were being made. Woodside died in hospital this week, a month after being shot, police said. Yesterday, as a hearse pulled up to take the bodies of the latest victims away, cries could be heard coming from a nearby home. Sherri Elliot-Ferguson, a longtime resident of Rupert Dean Lane, said she did not see the shooting, but had an opportunity to pray with one of the dying men whom she knew. "I came out in time to see a person running off and I went over to the guy lying on the ground because the first one was already dead. The next one, I had a chance to talk to him," said Ferguson. She also said many people are hurt by the shooting. "Some people who don't even know this gentleman [are] hurt because it could have been any one of them," she said. She called for changes in the judicial system, saying cases take too long to be addressed. As she spoke, a woman who she identified as a girlfriend of one of the men cried over the loss of her children's father. Ferguson could not say how many children the man had, but said the children now need someone to be there for them. Another longtime resident of Bain Town, Laverne Gardiner, said she rushed to the scene fearing her son had been killed. "They need to stop this [killing] and whoever around here knows who [did] it, they need to speak up," she said. "They need to find who [did] these things because there is too much crime in The Bahamas. People only know when it's them, they don't know when it's the neighbor. We used to be neighborly and now Bahamian people are no longer neighborly. They need to get more neighborly and show more love to one another." Police said last night they had three people in custody in connection with the murders yesterday. Monday February 8 2010