By KHRISNA VIRGIL
Tribune Staff Reporter
kvirgil@tribunemedia.net
CENTRAL Detective Unit Chief Paul Rolle said police were concerned with the levels of illegal firearms on the streets following two shooting incidents, one of which claimed the life of a man.
During a press conference yesterday, Mr Rolle made a plea to persons to turn in illegal weapons in an effort to assist police in curbing the “indiscriminate” shooting.
He was speaking about the first incident that happened at midnight yesterday in the Millennium Gardens Subdivision. The incident involved the shooting and death of one of two men who were in the area to deliver food to a woman. Police believe that the incident could have been the result of a domestic dispute.
Several persons, not considered suspects, were assisting police with their investigations, he said.
“(There were) reports of gunshots being heard,” Mr Rolle said, “and a male then ran to the residence of a police officer in that area seeking assistance. This officer was then able to summon Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to render assistance to him and the other male.
“EMS pronounced one of the males dead and the second was taken to the Princess Margaret Hospital for medical attention. Our investigation reveals that these men had gone into the Millennium Gardens area to take some food for a young lady.
“They had stopped outside and were standing waiting for her to get the food when a male walked up to them, produced a hand gun and just began discharging shots in their direction. One of the males was struck to the chest and he died on the scene. The second male was shot to the leg, in his stomach and to his side. He is listed in critical condition and is still at PMH.”
The second incident unfolded during a party being held by relatives of a newly graduated police officer.
At 12:05 am police said they received reports of gunshot being discharged in Hollywood Subdivision, off Cowpen Road. When they responded to the scene, two men, including a prison guard were suffering from gunshot injuries.
“EMS responded to the scene where there was a party at the time going on and transported one of the victims to PMH. The second victim was transported in a private vehicle. Our investigation tells us that they were having a party and persons drove up to this party in a white Cadillac Escalade and attempted to get into the party where there was an exchange of words between persons in the party and the men in this vehicle,” Mr Rolle said.
A short time later, one of the persons in the vehicle produced a hand gun and opened fire on the crowd, hitting the men. The prison officer was shot in his leg and the other victim, a 19-year-old man was shot in his stomach and side.
The gunman, along with the remaining occupants of the Escalade, left the scene and fled towards Baillou Hill Road. They were pursued by persons attending the party. However, the suspects escaped in the Zion Boulevard area in South Beach.
Police are appealing to persons who might have information regarding both incidents to come forward.
Comments
generalcrazy 10 years ago
They are only NOW "concerned with the levels of illegal firearms on the streets", since police were victims? What about the regular unarmed citizens (cashiers, etc) that have been getting killed for the last few years, by the dozens. Also, 1/2 the guns on the street are probably police issued weapons sold for cash. And, Greenslade says he does not want good citizens to own guns for self defense - well he is obviously confused. Chief Paul Rolle needs to speak to his boss about why good citizens cannot own guns for self defense.
sheeprunner12 10 years ago
General, this is a serious indictment that you are making........ that half of the illegal weapons on our streets are "police issued weapons sold for cash"
Wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww........... if there is even a nugget of truth here
paul_vincent_zecchino 10 years ago
Agree. Gun-control increases crime by shifting the balance of power to the criminal, who becomes empowered to prey on defenseless citizens.
Two hundred years ago, the founders of Criminology, Cesare Becaria and Cesare Lombroso, noted that nations which permited citizens to own firearms enjoyed low rates of crime while those nations which denied their citizens their right to own firearms suffered high rates of crime.
Hitler attacked every nation in Europe but for one, Switzerland. He knew that every Swiss citizen was armed and would defend his life, family and country.
Admiral Yamamoto, during World War II, counseled his superiors to not even consider attacking the American mainland 'for behind every blade of grass lies a man with a rifle'.
If as the leftist anti-gun ghouls love to quack, guns are so dangerous, then with more than three hundred million guns known to exist legally in America - not counting a likely equal number of illicit firearms - we should surely have dropped like flies long ago.
But instead we're healthy, because guns are not evil nor do they endanger anyone or cause crime. Criminals do all that, and History tells us that criminals will always have all the guns they desire regardless of any and all laws.
Tarzan 10 years ago
For a small multi-island nation, situated nearly adjacent to a continent sized country of 400 millions, that is literally awash in firearms, to attempt to control the crime issues associated with guns by banning their ownership, is the functional equivalent of trying to write laws banning mosquitoes in an effort to halt dissemination of insect born disease.
In a better world it might be possible for a peaceful Bahamas to exist with a ban on handguns, but we had better start writing laws to address the world we actually live in. Without doubt, the attempt to disarm the law abiding, while pretending that the police will ever find any effective means of controlling illegal gun proliferation among the criminal class is a fools errand.
This is of a piece with efforts to pretend there is a ban illegal gambling, while accepting retirement funding and economically significant employment from a proliferating numbers racket. In the words of Pete Seeger, "When will we ever learn, when will we ever learn."
paul_vincent_zecchino 10 years ago
In America, beginning with southern and western states as well as Alaska, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont and then in other states which saw their low crime rates, gun laws have been steadily relaxed for thirty or more years. Concealed Carry Permits are now issued regularly to citizens who pass thorough background checks.
In southern, western and other states such as those above, crime rates are low and decreasing. In states which still deny their citizens' rights to own firearms such as New York, Illinois, and California, crime remains high and often on the increase.
If you want less crime, allow citizens their right to own firearms if they so desire. If you want more crime, by all means pass 'good, strict, gun control laws' so that only criminals will have them, and will hence be free to prey on disarmed, defenseless citizens.
GrassRoot 10 years ago
Yes ask Trevor Martin whether if concurs with your opinion. Let's have a happy shoot out at jaws beach on Sunday afternoon over a girl when everybody is drunk and doped up. Nice.
Tarzan 10 years ago
So you are suggesting with the hand gun ban in place this exact thing is not happening now? Please read the newspapers. Of course there are incidents that are perfectly awful that occur in jurisdictions where hand guns are not criminalized, but what about those where they are? Any less? In fact statistics support the proposition that crime goes down when lawful citizens can legally be armed.
GrassRoot 10 years ago
How about a society in which no one feels compelled to own a gun? Just get rid of the Ghetto mentality and the warmongers - well too bad the US constitution does not extend to the Bahamas - so you have to come up with other arguments... How about jobs for people and no drugs. No rapes teenage pregnancies. How about not stealing cheating killing?
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