TEARS during last night’s candlelight vigil on Father Marshall Cooper Park for De’Angelo “Dee” Evans, who was shot and killed by police on Sunday. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune staff
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
HUNDREDS turned out in Masons Addition last night to call for answers in the death of Deangelo Evans, the 20-year-old killed by police over the weekend.
Former Prime Minister Perry Christie was among those who made a brief appearance to comfort the Evans’ family.
The crowd of about 300 lit candles, sang hymns and marched through the Masons Addition, East Street and McCullough Corner areas.
They stopped briefly in front of the headquarters of the Shell Saxons Superstars where Evans’ mother punched the walls and broke down in tears.
“Lil D,” as they called Evans, was a hardworking and avid junkanooer who died after obeying his grandmother’s request to buy items from a nearby store, they said.
While an increase in police-involved killings has gradually pushed the issue into the spotlight over the last few months, Evans’ death has especially drawn attention because so many residents in the densely populated neighbourhood have insisted he did nothing wrong.
Police said Sunday they were responding to an armed robbery of a store on East Street and Bethel Ground Corner when Evans, one of the people they believed matched the description of the suspects, was shot.
The store that was allegedly robbed is known by residents as the “John Taylor” shop.
Bradford Wallace, 69, who claimed he was in the store to buy water when the alleged robbery took place, insisted Evans was not the robber.
He said the robber was dressed in all-black and wore a hoodie.
“I met the robber inside,” he said. “I was in back of him on the line. He told Taylor (the man managing the store) go that way and don’t look back, then he ran straight across the road.
“When the police came through the corner, I told the police this fella was dressed in black on black with a hoodie and he ran straight through the corner so I don’t know how they got through the other area to shoot that boy and that boy had on red and white.”
Mr Wallace said the real robber was quite a bit taller than Evans.
Asked if he gave his statements to police, Mr Wallace said: “I ain’ going to the police, they got to come to me.”
The Coroner’s Court will ascertain the facts of the case but Evans’ family said they are eager to rehabilitate his image.
“We want it out there that he is not that person they are trying to make him out to be,” Tetrea Rolle, one of Evans’ cousins said last night.
“They’ve demoralized his character and we are trying to fight back.”
Speakers at last night’s vigil were nonetheless careful not to incite tensions with anti-police rhetoric.
“I don’t know the circumstances that surround this incident, I don’t know what took place because I was not there,” activist Carlos Reid said, “but I’m hearing a lot of stories and to be honest, as a father, I really don’t like it.
“I want to call for those in authorities to really investigate this because the cries on the street are really getting to a point where I’m afraid that if we don’t do the right thing something gon’ break out in this country. For this year we’ve already had a number of young men that have died at the hands of the police and, again I don’t know the circumstances that surround this, but nobody is above the law.”
There have been eight police-involved killings so far this year. Last year there were 11.
Comments
Fitmiss 5 years, 11 months ago
I am still stuck on the statement that the police must come to him. I guess he felt he did his part already. There seems to be a pandemic of persons being killed by police officers. Yes crime is rampant, and if someone fires on a police officer, the officer should be able to defend him/herself. With that being said, police have to ensure that they had just cause to shoot. I cannot imagine the need to put so many bullets in someone. At the end of the day, we have to ensure that our officers are in peak physical and mental condition, are properly trained, and retrained every so often. Our officers also need to have bullet proof vests and nowadays bodycams. I hope every time an officer fires his or her gun, there is an investigation. You can disagree as much as you want, but we need to better police our police officers. They risk their lives and I applaud them, but they are not above the law and are not exempt from being accountable for their actions.
licks2 5 years, 11 months ago
There seem to be a pandemic? All of a sudden plenty persons forget that the pandemic was these young gun carrying thugs were scoring over one hundred shot to death of the same young dudes you are now accusing the police of killing!! Those boys are out of control gun-slinging wanton killers who will kill anybody, anywhere and don't give a damn who is killed in the process!! Woman, children, men or they mar. . .a clear and present danger to this whole nation!! What make you think that one of those gun carrying wanton killers with no social conscience will not pull an gun on a police officer. . .after all they have killed multiple persons for just walking on their shoe or looking at them wrong!! You fail to determine where the gun on the scene came from. . .either the police had it or the young man did!! If the police had the extra gun to used and kill persons and plant the gun. . .we have a police that needs to go to jail. But if the police is telling the truth and the young man had that gun. . .that whole community is the problem. . .they are lying to protect a teen robber and who knows what else he does!! Keep ya comments sane until we find out who had that gun found on the scene!!
hrysippus 5 years, 11 months ago
Lickstoomuch is an ex policeman so he will always defend other policemen. This is what policwmen do best.
John 5 years, 11 months ago
Marvin Dames is the first elected member of the Minnis FNM Government that will never see elected office in this country again! Did I say never? How can you allow your policeman to pump EIGHTEEN holes in an innocent (until proven guilty) human being, citizen of The Bahamas and say it is Business as usual? And as long as Hubert Minnis remains silent on the issue, his time with the people is dwindling. AWAY! Is it the people’s time to be slaughtered.? And yes they have The Tribunes page hacked but somebody has to stand for something else we all die for nothing.
ThisIsOurs 5 years, 11 months ago
I hope this will put a pause on persons who call for police to shoot first and ask questions later. Chasing cars through the streets exchanging rapid fire gunshots also has to stop. What happens if you hit another driver just using the road? What happens if you hit a child?
I will not be surprised if the officers involved are "good" men. The trigger happy culture has just been allowed to go on too long
birdiestrachan 5 years, 11 months ago
I ask the question did police shooting increased since the FNM became the Government and the appointment of the new Commissioner of Police. I do not know. but there seems to be a lot of Police shootings.
jackbnimble 5 years, 10 months ago
Yes they sure seem to have increased since the new Commissioner was appointed. Unlike his predecessor, this Commissioner does not even do press conferences. He does not toot a horn or answer questions from the press.
Starting to wonder if the police have been given some secret order to shoot first and ask questions later.
This incident is also looking like a major cover up.
birdiestrachan 5 years, 11 months ago
The answer is there were 11 police shootings last year and so far this year there are 7.
archie316 5 years, 10 months ago
Its sad. I agree that police officers jobs are hard and their lives are at risk.....BUT if they would stop thinking shoot to kill it just might be better. What happen to shooting someone in the leg or an arm, so at the end of the day both stories can be heard. We all say that they need training....I disagree. I'm sure our officers KNOWS what to do, they JUST DONT. They do what they want when they want and find ways to cover up and fix their wrongs. Sad but True. My prayers for the family.....
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