By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
A MAN screamed “I got shoot, I got shoot” moments before drawing his last breath in the country’s latest police-involved killing.
Police said officers were on Washington Street off Balfour Avenue when their inspection of a black car led to the deadly encounter.
“A male came from the vehicle, armed with a firearm and pointed it in the direction of the officer,” police said in a statement. “The officers being in fear of their lives discharged their service weapons in the direction of the male, who ran to the rear of a home, where he was discovered deceased. A 9 millimeter pistol was recovered.”
When The Tribune visited the area yesterday, most residents this newspaper spoke to said they were asleep when the incident happened. However Charite Gilles, 60, said he had just decided to check his car outside his home when he heard the man screaming.
“When I heard that, I said it makes no sense, I peek and see what’s going on, so I went back inside and called the police,” he said, adding that the area was soon swarmed by officers.
Mr Gilles said two men on the scene were arrested by police. However, those arrests were not mentioned in the police press release.
Saturday’s incident was the second police-involved killing in a week.
Last Monday police said officers foiled an alleged attempted robbery of Royal Bank of Canada, killing one man and injuring another suspect.
Chief Superintendent of Police Solomon Cash said when police approached a vehicle, an armed man exited and began shooting, causing officers to return fire. Police said a weapon was recovered from that scene but no police or civilians were hurt.
Last week, National Security Minister Marvin Dames said that, while the incident was unfortunate, criminals will lose when they confront police.
Comments
John 4 years, 1 month ago
So are the police using a form of ‘Laser Policing?’ This is a program that’s has been banned for use by the LAPD. The program uses police intelligence to target individuals who have criminal records and police continue to Perdue these individuals until they can ‘pin’ a crime on them and get them jailed. Here it seems that the individuals will eventually have s ‘shootout’ with police or ‘point a weapon at officers’ and meet their demise in a hail of bullets. And since there is no further investigation ( of the incident) the police has the final word. In the US, the program was declared discriminatory and unconstitutional because it was predicated on the ‘stop and frisk’ law that targeted individuals (racial profiling) and searched them. It was found that some officers were planting evidence (including drugs, weapons and stolen items) on suspects. And because the LASER program used data collected in the ‘stop and frisk’,it was still targeting young black men. Here most persons killed in a police involved shooting ‘are known to the police.’ US police are now using ‘Predictive Policing where Artificial Intelligence (AI) is used to ‘predict’ where crimes are most likely to occur. Police then patrol these hotspots where they are more likely to either be a deterrent and prevent crime or be in a position to respond more quickly when a crime occurs. And the ‘shoot to kill’ policy is highly in effect, at least here in The Bahamas.
Cobalt 4 years, 1 month ago
Shut ya stupid ass. You always talking shit that doesn’t pertain to the matter. This isn’t the LAPD! Nor is it the US. This is the Bahamas where gun-totting criminals think they’re void of the law and free to kill whomever they wish without consequence! Well it’s pass time we dispelled them of that notion. If sensible people listen to jackasses like you the carnage against innocent, law abiding citizens will continue. You live by the gun, you die by the gun. That’s scripture! Thanks to our brave police, there is one less gun on our streets! Good job gentleman!
ThisIsOurs 4 years, 1 month ago
The issue is no one knows what really happened. We've had too many incidents of questionable police behaviour over decades. If that angry policeman in Abaco had shot someone would we have gotten a story of someone reaching for an object and the officer being in fear for his life? It's also possible the man did fire first.. we'll never know
John 4 years, 1 month ago
In a number of these incidents, eyewitnesses accounts are completely different from the police. And police should never be left to investigate themselves or to draw conclusions on their actions that result bin deaths. Eventually you may find persons joint the force just to become hit men or commit murder.
birdiestrachan 4 years, 1 month ago
There are to many police shooting. Three already for the year.
The story is they were in fear of their lives.
mandela 4 years, 1 month ago
This is why police body cam and dashboard cam is very important and need to be implemented as soon as possible. Until this happens it will always be the police words against everyone else and they would always get away with saying they shot because they were in fear for their lives
joeblow 4 years, 1 month ago
It may well be that the police go to work being "in fear of their lives". Who knows!
ThisIsOurs 4 years, 1 month ago
that's true too. but too much room for abuse as a rash of cell phone videos have shown
Cobalt 4 years, 1 month ago
Good work, Police Officers!!! Don’t listen to all these stupid ass people talking shit! Keep up the good work. Put all of these gun-totting criminals in the ground. We need more fertilizer! Send them all to hell heavy with lead. They’ll make beautiful flowers in the graveyard!
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