The Tribune

By LETRE SWEETING

lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

A 38-year-old man being electronically monitored and on bail for murder was shot dead on Saturday after he allegedly attempted to rob a woman of her car, according to police.

Shortly after 8pm, police said, a woman who had just arrived at her residence on Barbados Avenue, Elizabeth Estates, was approached by a man armed with a handgun, who demanded the keys to her vehicle.

The woman screamed, alerting her husband, an off-duty police officer.

The off-duty officer confronted the armed man and while attempting to disarm him, the 38-year-old was fatally shot. His weapon was confiscated by police.

 According to police, the victim was a resident of Nassau Village.

 “Police wish to remind those persons who engage in criminal behaviour, that police will remain relentless in their pursuit of all offenders and that this could be your fate when engaging in criminality,” the police said further.

 Recent police-involved killings in the capital have raised concerns about the status of Coroner’s Court cases regarding these matters.

 Last month, police said a teenager allegedly involved in an armed robbery was fatally shot on Saturday after pulling a gun on officers.

 Two days later, police shot dead a wanted suspect in Gamble Heights after he allegedly pulled a gun on officers.

 The frequency of fatal police-involved shootings in the country and the lack of inquests to determine if they were justifiable is concerning to some.

 In August, Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander said officers have “the right to do what they have to do” when confronted with armed people who put their lives in danger.

 He added that the police are not “in the business” of letting off “warning shots” in these situations.

 In late August, police said a man was shot and killed when he produced a handgun and engaged the officers.

 At the time, police said officers from Operation Ceasefire responded to information about people with illegal handguns on a property on Miami Street, between Cordeaux and Balfour Avenues.

 In April, a man wearing a bulletproof vest was shot by police when they responded to an armed robbery after 1am in the area of Delancey Street.

 In January, a police officer shot and killed a Royal Bahamas Defence Force officer who allegedly “charged” at him and tried to disarm him.

 Last year, 21 police-involved shootings were recorded, 13 of them fatal.

 The Tribune had previously reported that The Bahamas has one of the highest per capita rates of police involved killings in the world, with 11 recorded in 2017, 2018 and 2020.

 Meanwhile investigations into Saturday’s incident are being led by the acting coroner and are continuing.