The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK 

and EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporters

A FATHER of four was among three people killed in a bloody Labour Day weekend that left families grieving in New Providence and Grand Bahama.

Stafford Ferguson, 44, of Caravel Beach, Freeport, was shot shortly before 9pm on Friday near a business in the Hunters area. He was taken to hospital, but died around 11.35pm.

His brother, Khambrel Ferguson, said the killing has shattered a family struggling to understand why a man he described as humble, helpful and peaceful was gunned down.

"We just looking for justice," he told The Tribune yesterday.

"Stafford was a nice person. He was helpful to people," he said. "He was a humble person and never used to bother anyone. To see this situation happen is just shocking because somebody murdered him."

Police said officers found Ferguson lying beside a burgundy 2009 Chevrolet Impala with multiple gunshot wounds to the left abdomen and left arm.

According to police, Ferguson had been walking toward his vehicle when a lone gunman dressed in dark clothing approached him and opened fire before fleeing on foot and escaping in a waiting vehicle.

Two men, both 34, are in police custody, assisting police with their investigations.

Ferguson was the son of businessman Max Quant, of Noula Investment Ltd. He worked as a body repairman and had four children — two boys and two girls — ranging in age from 21 to four.

Khambrel said the family has heard many rumours about the circumstances surrounding the shooting, but is pleased with the police response so far.

He described his brother as hardworking, energetic and peaceful, saying Stafford tried to settle disputes rather than fuel them.

"If it was any altercation, he would do his best to resolve it," he said. "He would be there doing his best to resolve the situation."

Khambrel said his mother has been overwhelmed by grief since learning of her son’s death. The Labour Day weekend violence also claimed two lives in New Providence.

The most recent killing happened around 1.45pm yesterday, when police received reports of a shooting on Constitution Drive.

Police found a man believed to be in his early 30s with gunshot injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Two other adult men were shot in their lower extremities.

Police said the three men were in a makeshift garage next to their residences when two armed men approached the gate with high-powered weapons and opened fire.

On Friday night, a 23-year-old man was shot and killed on Eneas Street off Meadow Street. Police said one person is in custody in connection with the matter.

According to preliminary reports, police were alerted to gunfire in the area shortly before 11pm through ShotSpotter Technology. Moments later, an anonymous caller reported that a man had been shot and was lying unresponsive in the roadway.

Officers from the Southern Division responded and found the victim, dressed in a white shirt and jeans, lying in the street with multiple gunshot wounds.

Emergency Medical Services personnel examined him and found no signs of life.

Initial investigations indicate that the victim had entered Eneas Street through a track road when an unidentified man dressed in black approached him, produced a firearm and opened fire.

Police said the victim tried to run south along Eneas Street, but collapsed a short distance away and died. The suspect fled in an unknown direction.

Christopher Gilbert, a friend of the victim, said the young man had recently returned to New Providence after working on several Family Islands and mainly earned a living in construction, including on projects on Paradise Island.

Mr Gilbert said the victim had dropped off his two-year-old daughter with her mother shortly before the shooting. He said the killing was a “shock” and that the family was taking it hard, particularly after losing the victim’s grandmother last year.

In a social media post, a woman identified as the victim’s sister rejected any suggestion that her brother was involved in gangs or the streets, describing him as a quiet, hardworking young man devoted to his family and young daughter.

“Our grandmother passed last July, and our sister and I did our best to make sure he did not fall victim to the streets and gangs,” she said. “They took his life carelessly. He had his baby in his arms when he was shot. He begged for his life. They could have stopped at one when he fell and it jammed.”

“Instead, they continued to unjam and load on my baby brother. He was working on the cay and just came a couple of days prior to visit family, see his girl and his baby. God protected my niece. She is a toddler. How can you kill so senselessly. My God do people not have a heart anymore?!”

“Again, my brother was not a thug or a gangster and was NOT a part of any gang or the streets, that's why it hurts so much. He was killed out of envy.”

Another woman, who identified herself as the victim’s godmother, went live on Facebook for about an hour, pleading with people to turn in loved ones who may have been responsible for the killing.

“You feel it harder because he was doing something,” she said. “He has a baby. You feel it harder because he is somebody's child. His mother might be deceased, but he still has his older sister. He has his sisters, he has a brother, he has auntie, has uncle, and he have a crazy godmother.”