The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

POLICE have launched an island-wide manhunt for the persons involved in the shooting death of a man early yesterday morning.

Police are also investigating the circumstances surrounding a shooting that occurred shortly after that incident, which left a man in hospital in serious condition.

The shooting death brought the country’s murder count to 91 for the year, according to The Tribune’s records.

According to reports, shortly after 3.30am yesterday, police received reports of a man found dead in a vehicle at East Street and Cordeaux Avenue. When police arrived on the scene they found the lifeless body of a male in a dark coloured Honda vehicle with multiple gunshot wounds.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

A short while later police received a report that a man arrived at the hospital suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to his body. Police told The Tribune that the victim had been shot in the neck.

He was listed in serious condition.

These latest shootings came less than two days after a man was shot in the head and killed while driving on Augusta Street.

According to police reports, shortly before 10pm on Tuesday, the victim was driving in his Suzuki vehicle on Heath Street off Augusta Street, when he was shot in the head.

The victim crashed into a nearby fence and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police identified the victim as 58-year-old James McKenzie of West Street. However, police said they were unsure if the victim was the intended target or if he was in the “wrong place at the wrong time.”

Last Friday, a man was shot to death while walking on Charles Vincent Street.

According to police, the victim, who has been identified as Jamal Bridgewater, was walking when two people in a black coloured Honda Civic drove near him.

Speaking to reporters at the crime scene, Chief Superintendent Paul Rolle said one of the suspects got out of the vehicle and pursued the victim, shooting him in his upper body.

Murders this year continue to outpace the number of killings recorded in 2014 compared to the same period this year.

At the end of July 2014, police had recorded 71 homicides.

On Wednesday, organizers of an anti-crime protest accused the government of “giving a deaf ear to the cries of the people” as the country’s murder rate continues to climb.

Chanting “enough is enough” and “sick and tired of being sick and tired”, protesters occupied Rawson Square from 9am to 5pm.

During the House of Assembly’s afternoon recess on Wednesday, National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage walked past protesters as they chanted: “Help us Nottage, help us.” He gave them a thumbs up and a smile.

When pressed by The Tribune for a comment on the state of crime however, Dr Nottage refused to give a statement.