OFFICIALS at the scene of a police-involved shooting that left two men dead. Photo: Terrel W. Carey/Tribune Staff
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
POLICE shot and killed two men known to them yesterday, Assistant Commissioner of Police Clayton Fernander said.
Their deaths marked the third time this month there has been a police-involved killing in the country.
The Tribune understands the men are Roy Stubbs and Ernest Forest. One of them had been electronically monitored for three counts of attempted murder and firearm possession, sources told The Tribune. The other had recently been released from prison, having previously been charged with serious offences.
ACP Fernander said: “Shortly after 2pm this afternoon, acting on information, officers responded to this general area off Cowpen Road where they saw a suspicious vehicle. Two male occupants on the scene, exited with handguns and engaged the officers. Officers, being in fear for their lives and persons in the general area, returned fire. Both male occupants were fatally shot. At this present time, we are conducting investigations and the coroner, who already visited, has been briefed.
“It is in the hands of the coroner who will continue investigations. I just want to assure the members of the public their police officers, their Royal Bahamas Police Force is up and about in communities just to make sure they are safe. We just want them to continue to pray for us as we know it is not an easy task and as we leave home and leave our families we don’t know if we will return.”
ACP Fernander said the men were in their mid-30s. He said two weapons, both firearms, were recovered from them.
On Friday last week, a man, who police said was armed, was shot and killed in Abaco during a confrontation in the Central Pines area. The man, police said, discharged shots into a crowd.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Terecita Pinder said the man had pointed his firearm in the direction of officers before he was shot. A black tech-9 weapon, magazine and ammunition were recovered from the scene, police said.
Police-involved shootings are handled by the Coroner’s Court which must hold an inquest into each incident to ascertain the facts. However, there remains a significant backlog of such cases at the court. Last December, Attorney General Carl Bethel vowed to implement either administrative or legislative fixes to address the backlog, calling it “unacceptable.” It is not clear what measures have since been implemented or are being contemplated.
According to The Tribune’s records, 11 people were killed in police-involved shootings last year. Authorities, however, do not typically release statistics of such matters or confirm the identities of victims for the record.
Comments
John 6 years, 3 months ago
When police involved shootings start to exceed the murder count, it is a clear indication that something is wrong. When police killings exceed the amount of the decrease in the murder count, there is still a net increase in homicides. People are still being killed. When the police killings become to frequent and the public starts to doubt the policemen accounts then they lose confidence in the police. There is a lack of trust. Then the country is back to square one. There must be accountability in all quarters. But still the police must have license to do their job effectively.
Sickened 6 years, 3 months ago
The you RBPF for risking your lives to keep our streets safe and for ridding our streets of these armed scumbags. Thankfully the officers on engaged on scene didn't get wounded - keep up the obviously good training.
John 6 years, 3 months ago
All things are related and for there to be harmony, there must also be balance. Equilibrium. For example in the US when there was what many thought to be too much unjustified killings of blacks and other minorities by police the public outcry started an all out assault on police. Persons started walking up to police, even female officers and shooting them for no reason. And it wasn’t the blacks and minority who were doing this but persons who already had a despise for police and law enforcement using the conflict the police had with the other groups to cover up or justify their actions. And as the police killings on blacks and minorities ceased, so did the attacks on law enforcement officers. Justice must be seen to be done.
Aegeaon 6 years, 2 months ago
This has nothing to do with them. There's only two ways to solve this, either arresting hundreds or thousands, or killing them swiftly to send them a message. That's how it works.
hrysippus 6 years, 3 months ago
If Ifthe officers who shot and killed these men are not sociopathic then they will need professional help dealing with the situation they are now in. My father killed many people in the 2nd world war and spent the rest of his life dealing with the consequences of becoming a killer. I hope the force has a competent psychiatric doctor to help these policemen deal with their killings.
rawbahamian 6 years, 3 months ago
If a known gun toting criminal points a gun at an officier, what exactly do you think is gonna happen John ? The majority of Police Officiers are black and the majority of gun toting/using criminals are black John, so how does the minority comparison issue in the U.S.A. get into our situation ? People are constantly comparing our crime problems to other countries trying to lessen the blow to our under 1/2 million population.
birdiestrachan 6 years, 3 months ago
it is concerning that there are so many police Shootings. lately.
joeblow 6 years, 3 months ago
If criminals pull a gun first the police should shoot to kill. Officers are underpaid, put their lives on the line everyday and when killed their families receive little in terms of benefits or support!. Something has to give!!
DDK 6 years, 3 months ago
"One of them had been electronically monitored for three counts of attempted murder and firearm possession, sources told The Tribune. " Does any know how this electronic monitoring actually works. Who does the monitoring? How many persons do the monitoring? Who are they in communication with? Why is someone charged with three counts of attempted murder and firearm possession out and about? "The other had recently been released from prison, having previously been charged with serious offences." Why was HE out and about?
Ashinnabash 6 years, 3 months ago
THANK YOU!
DDK 6 years, 3 months ago
Possible caption for the lead photo "Another Day In Paradise".
DEDDIE 6 years, 3 months ago
I am of the opinion that the police force have become vigilantes due to the failings of our court system. The police arrests a person today only to see them on the streets the following day. As a society we have become desensitize to police beatings to the point there is an expectation that once in police custody you will be beaten. We have now evolved to been desensitize to police killings.
John 6 years, 3 months ago
@rawbahamian ... you must read my post in its entirety and not take things out of context to mean something other than what was intended. We (The Bahamas) have already been down this street of police shootings. In fact the public referred to certain police officers as ‘da death squad’. Because when they come for you, they don’t plan to take you alive. And what was. The outcome of that? The distance between the police and the community grew wider and the violence and resistance of the criminals grew stronger. And more sadly many of the police involved in these killings grew into rogue and trigger happy cops and most had to be dismissed from the force, some for mental conditions. In in the end it was the families of some of these ‘police involved shooting ‘ policemen who had to go to the government or the commissioner, with cap in hand, begging for funds to bury their ‘former policeman’ family member. So what will make the results any different this time around?
Aegeaon 6 years, 3 months ago
We cannot solve crime peacefully until those gangs are effectively eliminated, and so, it's a case where we need those gangsters arrested or killed on site. It's a victory either way.
John 6 years, 3 months ago
Today is January 24, 2018 ‘Their deaths mark the third time this month time this month there has been a police-involved killing in the country.” And how much is the murder count?
jamaicaproud 6 years, 3 months ago
Straight from the Yardy Police playbook.
John 6 years, 3 months ago
There must be a system of checks and balances. Larry Nasser was a well respected athletic doctor. Yet he sexually abused and assaulted hundreds of victims over two decades. Some were abused hundreds of times. Because one victim was brave enough to speak up against him, Larry Nasser was today sentenced to 40 - 175 years in prison. Now some of the victims believe there was a cover up by the people who hired him. How could so many victims be abused so many times over so long a period of time and nothing is done about it? Because none of the victims spoke up and the code of silence and the abuse became the norm.
BigD1 6 years, 3 months ago
Under the other COP offices when fired on were wary to pull the trigger because they had no support. They use to call for back up giving the culprits time to escape or throw away their weapons. Now they have the support they need to execute their duties within the confines of their training. I say to our brave officers BRAVO
John 6 years, 2 months ago
So let’s bring the culture back where young men were dying in police stations and holding cells and no proper investigations done?
Aegeaon 6 years, 2 months ago
I'd rather that than having these punks freely killing people and getting away with it.
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