Crime wave continues | Bahamas Daily

There seemed to be a constant crime wave in New Providence over the past few months. Almost every other day, police were called to murder scenes, hearing relatives screaming and mourning while undertakers carried bodies to the morgue at Princess Margaret Hospital.

Sociologists, psychologists, and priests all agree that crime is fundamentally a moral failing, both individual and social, and that the ultimate solution therefore lies in programs that used to be described in less cynical times as “moral reconditioning.”

A few months ago, the Bahamas Christian Council held a large prayer service in Nassau, hoping that the serial murders would stop. However, the prayers did not succeed.

A group of priests recently received permission from the Cabinet Office to hold a 40-day prayer event at Rawson Square in the hope of ending the chaos through spiritual intervention.

However, it is widely believed that many of the victims in this crime wave were known to police because some of the murdered people were wearing horn bracelets and should have been under the radar of authorities.

It’s unsettling for many Bahamians, but homicides continue to rise since a 43-year-old man was shot and killed while working in a remote area near Carmichael Road on Wednesday.

Earlier, on Sunday, August 25, a 20-year-old man was shot dead while attending a party at his family’s residence in Bozin town.^day The murder, which occurred around 1 a.m., brings the country’s homicide count so far this year to 84. At this rate, the final tally could exceed the 2023 total of 110 murders.

At the time, the investigation was still in its early stages and police provided some details to the media.

West District Superintendent Deno Josey said police received a report of gunshots at a scrap metal yard near Carmichael Road north of Ramsey Street around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday. The response team arrived and found an adult male lying unresponsive on a dirt road, apparently with a gunshot wound.

The police immediately called the emergency medical service technician to examine the victim and found that he had multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body and no signs of life. The coroner also arrived at the scene and officially declared the man dead.

Superintendent Joshi said, “Preliminary reports suggest that the deceased was last seen talking to the occupants of a white hatchback car, who approached him and demanded cash. After failing to get the money, they shot him several times. The criminals fled the vicinity and managed to escape.”

Joshi said investigators believe they have some solid leads and expect to arrest the suspect soon.

Police reported Thursday morning that two men were taken to the hospital in critical condition following a shooting Wednesday evening on Young Street between Market and East streets.

According to reports, police responded to reports of gunshots heard on Young Street around 11:30 p.m.

Upon arrival, they found a 29-year-old man lying in the street with an apparent gunshot wound to the upper torso and requested emergency medical services, who then transported the victim to the hospital.

At the hospital, police also found another victim, a 27-year-old male, with gunshot wounds to his upper torso and right extremity. He had been taken to the hospital in a private vehicle before police arrived.

According to initial reports, the two victims were standing on Young Street when they were approached by two unidentified men, one of whom was armed with a firearm, who fired multiple shots at them, leaving them shot. The offenders fled the area on foot and were able to escape.

Below is a list of the latest murders that have occurred in the past few weeks, bringing the number of murders in 2024 to 84.

• #75 July 30^day A female body was found on Homestead Avenue next to Lincoln Avenue.

• Oral Roberts, the 76th suspect in an armored truck robbery, was shot and killed in Fox Hill.

• #77 and #78 both occurred on August 6^day Two men were shot outside a club in Grand Bahama. One man died at the scene, while the other was taken to hospital where he later died from his injuries.

• #79 On August 10, a man was found shot near a South Beach swimming pool^day.

• #80 On August 15, a man was shot and killed in Bimini.

• #81 On August 16, Phillip Adderley, 36, was found stabbed to death with his hands and feet bound at a location in Stuarts Cove^day.

• #82 Also on August 16^dayA 23-year-old man was shot on Hospital Lane and later died in hospital.

• #83 At around 1 a.m. on August 25, a 20-year-old man was shot dead in Bojin Township^day At a party at a relative’s house.

• #84 August 28^daya man believed to be in his early 40s was found shot to death on a dirt road on Ramsey Street across from Carmichael Road.

Of the 110 homicides that occurred in 2023, 65% have been solved. Of these, 75 suspects committed another serious crime, including murder, or were murdered while on bail.