The Tribune

By PAVEL BAILEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN arrested in Canada last year for alleged gang activity was denied bail yesterday on an attempted murder charge relating to a nightclub shooting in New Providence.

Prosecutors allege Devon Laing, 30, opened fire in the direction of a group of people after a verbal altercation at a nightclub on Nassau Street on May 4, 2024, reportedly targeting the person he was arguing with.

In his bail application, refused before Justice Neil Braithwaite, Laing maintained he was innocent. He claimed he was in Canada at the time of the alleged offence and had been there since April 2024. He denied being a flight risk or danger to the public and said he would comply with any bail conditions, adding that he is the father of two young children. Laing also has a prior conviction for armed robbery.

The prosecution opposed bail, citing public safety concerns. They said three people were injured in the shooting and that Laing was positively identified as the gunman. Prosecutors argued he posed a flight risk and that the evidence against him was strong.

They further submitted that Laing was arrested in Canada on November 13, 2024, for alleged gang activity and deported back to The Bahamas in June.

According to a CBC report last year, the Canadian investigation centred on a Hamilton-based street gang called “Hot Mali Squad”. The Hamilton Police Service alleged the group had ties to drug trafficking, robberies, daytime shootings and homicides. Police there reported a record rise in shootings, with 58 recorded up to that point in the year. The gang allegedly has links to “Dirty South”, a faction of the Bahamian-based street gang “One Order.”

After reviewing the submissions, Justice Braithwaite noted the risk of retaliatory violence against the accused, citing allegations that the Canadian gang is connected to a notorious local group. He said Laing posed a grave concern to public order.

Out of concern for public safety and the risk that Laing might abscond before trial, Justice Braithwaite denied bail, saying there were no conditions he could impose that would sufficiently address those concerns.

Akire Nicholls and Betty Wilson represented the prosecution.