The Tribune

POLICE are investigating the circumstances surrounding a stabbing incident that left a man dead Wednesday morning.

According to reports, shortly after 2am a group of men were involved in an altercation on Elizabeth Avenue and Bay Street which resulted in a man being stabbed. Paramedics were called to the scene and attempted to revive the victim but he was pronounced dead on the scene.

The Tribune understands the victim is 27-year-old, DeAngelo “Defense” Mortimer, however, his identity was not confirmed by police.

Mortimer’s death brought the country’s murder count to 93 for the year, according to The Tribune’s records. In 2018, police reported 91 total murders, a decrease from 122 in 2017.

Earlier this week, Police Commissioner Anthony Ferguson told The Nassau Guardian that a recent spike in murders was because police resources have been stretched thin dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian.

“None of us can plan for national disasters, and all of us are quite aware of the devastation in Abaco and Grand Bahama,” said Commissioner Ferguson.

“Up to September 1, there were about 61 homicides. Once that devastation took place, it simply meant that the whole policing strategy, the whole country, changed. Specifically in law enforcement, that changed also, and we had to make some changes to our plan in order to accommodate something that nobody could have foreseen. During the period, there will always be evil people in the world. We met them here and we will leave them here.

“And, so, while we were attending to the devastation in Abaco and Grand Bahama, and you found that there were persons who had no real concern for what was going on in Abaco, they were wreaking havoc here on New Providence.

“They continued with criminal activities and, hence, for September and October, we saw a spike in homicides. That’s a fact. The numbers are there,” he also said.

The Minnis administration has previously said officials want to reduce the number of murders in the country to 85 by 2021.

Police are also investigating a shooting that left a man in stable condition in hospital. The man was walking in the area of Flax Street off Malcolm Road when he was shot by an armed male, who had exited a Nissan Note. The shooter escaped and the victim was taken to hospital.

Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to call police at 919, 502-9991 or the Crime Stoppers hotline at 328-TIPS (8477).