Acting Commissioner Clayton Fernander. (File photo)
By EARYEL BOWLEG
Tribune Staff Reporter
ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
THE five killings that took place over the weekend were gang-related and the result of friction over drug turf, Acting Commissioner Clayton Fernander said yesterday.
He said the incidents were retaliation, describing the spate of crimes as a “tit-for-tat” situation.
“We are pretty much aware of the different (factions) of gangs that are involved in this matter. We continue as a team to go after these individuals to disrupt their operation,” he told the media during a Zoom press conference yesterday.
Between Friday and Sunday, there were five separate homicides, three of which took place on Thompson Lane one day apart. The acting commissioner noted that two of the victims that were killed on Saturday and Sunday on Thompson Lane were not the intended victims based on investigations thus far. He said police are aware who the intended target is.
Another man is in stable condition at this time in relation to one of the shootings on Thompson Lane on Saturday.
While going over the facts of Saturday’s and Sunday’s homicides, he said most of the murders that happened over the weekend occurred in the southern division and the south-central division of New Providence.
He added that these matters are concerning to police.
“What we have noticed in respect to the MO based on our intel, it’s telling us that these matters, we believe that they are gang-related as a result of drug turf and as a result of the drug turf, there’s retaliation. It’s more like tit-for-tat. We are aware of the different (factions) of gangs that are involved in this matter.”
He said officers are out and about trying to identify the players in these gangs to bring them into custody.
He said police are not ruling out the possibility that the matters, particularly the incidents on Thompson Lane, are related.
“We continue to put the pieces together to get a clearer picture, but we can’t rule that out at this time. But it’s leading towards that they are connected at this time,” he said.
Mr Fernander also gave updated crime statistics for the period of January up to yesterday.
There have been 28 homicides so far this year. The period of March 1 to 14 saw 12 murders in comparison to five last year during that same period. He said January 2022 had 12 murders in contrast to 10 in January 2021.
In February, police recorded four murders, a decrease from February 2021 which had 12 murders.
Mr Fernander said a man is in custody in connection with the double murder that happened last week in the Carmichael Road area where there was a social gathering and an individual fired shots into the crowd.
He said a man is also helping police regarding another matter that occurred two weeks ago just off Cowpen Road, where an individual was found through a track road with gunshot wounds.
The weapon of choice continues to be the high-powered rifle, according to Mr Fernander, who showed reporters an AK-47 automatic weapon.
“This weapon is capable (of entering) any wooden house and that’s where we are concerned because in our communities we are so (close knit). The houses are so close to each other. A bullet has no eye and when it leaves this weapon it could end up anywhere,” he said.
Mr Fernander said police are noticing a trend of “senior criminals” recruiting young men, putting guns in their hands, and giving them instructions to carry out these criminal acts.
“If they can’t get the target or if you, the family members, are with them you also become a target and if they can’t get the target they’re going to target you, the family,” he said.
Comments
tribanon 2 years, 2 months ago
Translation: "Like most in the public, the police too are afraid of the gangs and clueless how to stop them."
KapunkleUp 2 years, 2 months ago
You should know by now that our police brass like to point out the obvious and are incapable of actually doing any real police work. Next he's going to blame residents for not cooperating with the cops.
bahamianson 2 years, 2 months ago
Lolololol, that translation is comical
sheeprunner12 2 years, 2 months ago
Sooooooo, Gravy Brave brought back this old soldier to tell us this???????
He is being paid a hefty package of salary & perks to solve this "turf war" problem ...... Where is the PF strategy to deal with the gangs???? .......... Or is there an underlying sinister collusion between the gangs and the police??????
bahamianson 2 years, 2 months ago
That's right, great observation! He was let go and brought back because of his LEVEL OF EXPERIENCE. I guess he needs to go back on vacation. He stated the obvious. We all know what is going on.
carltonr61 2 years, 2 months ago
Fernander seems to have given the straight out logic but accidently his straight talk has put pepper on some of the public hidden grievances in hating male intelligence and professionalism. Instead they dare the Police to also act as an armed gang not using the rule of Law, and they call this cowardly. The turf wars involve a source of income that sustains gang lifestyle of women money, poor unemployed males and females, ego, image with the ability to sustain this lifestyle. Why has the church not addressed this dangerous entity within our system. It would be just as stupid as me advising posters to walk into drug barons dens and ask them to change their lives and find a job. The Police know it is not that simple. The reality of common sense seems to have escaped many. This is a complex issue where the innocent public is also falling in this fight. But the Police is being made the public enemy. We must show more appreciation as the Police Officers must put their lives on the line to save us.
sheeprunner12 2 years, 2 months ago
Sounds just like Ukraine to me ..... Leave the gangsters to murder the civilians, huh????? While the "good guys" wring their hands and say that they are doing all they can. Smt
bahamianson 2 years, 2 months ago
The police also knew about the number houses. They did nothing. The police force is a.babysitting program. It houses people during the day to pass the time.
tribanon 2 years, 2 months ago
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
carltonr61 2 years, 2 months ago
The Bahamian people voted against gambling so that enough is democratic power to still hold the entity illegal then return their 4 billion dollars earned to the treasury and to fight destructive gambling addiction.
carltonr61 2 years, 2 months ago
The pandemic has exposed many of our youth to fall into the this violent underground pipeline. Most have not finished high-school and are economically in a state of desperation where anything goes. Thousands of ill equipped youths must be called in to learn a trade. The legalization of Marijuana will force many of them into civility as they loose their only source of income and domain ownership. Enclosed population centers where the underground is the only source of economic income will see a change as drug income stops flowing in and youth in their environments stop being exposed to Marijuana through regularization, education, destigmaization for adults who use. But how will this individuals accustomed to the benefits of unregulated Marijuana industry become resocialized. After The Hobby Horse Race Track closed I am not sure what the crime data showed. But for Marijuana normalization their lives being saved will be one benefit as that lifestyle is seeing only one ending too many. The Rasta Man is already chanting that they held production for the past sixty years and bore the brunt of discrimination incarceration, human rights violations, and monetary fines. They were colorful standout for victimization. They alone remain outside this turf war as their purpose probably does not involve protecting ego, control of turf through violent strong arm tactics and Marijuana robbery. Just how many lives will be saved after Marijuana legalization that will strike down deadly turf wars that see Nassau held hostage to their violent lifestyle we will never know. Uruguay saw an almost 90% drop in violent crime. Canada Police saw empty jails and money resources going toward domestic abuse, suicide prevention and serious crime prevention and investigation. Allowing persons to grow their own plant really destroyed the income of violent gangs around the world as they totally lost their sole means of survival.
TalRussell 2 years, 2 months ago
Duh Honourable.Wayne Munroe might want use visionary appointment playbook of Allyson Maynard-Gibson...by appointing an outsider as Duh UK Colony's Chief Constable, ― Yes?
John 2 years, 2 months ago
If you don’t think it is not an organized TURF WAR going on in the inner communities, can the commissioner please explain how liquor stores tripled in these areas during the pandemic. Who owns these stores? Who are granting the licenses? Why are the majority of workers in these rum shops non Bahamians? Why don’t these stores ever give receipts? Why are these liquor allowed to operate from 7:00 am in the morning until 2:00 am the following morning? Selling wholesale liquor when all other businesses are closed?
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