The Tribune

By PAVEL BAILEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A JURY has ruled the 2021 shooting death of Police Constable 4276 Robert Wright Jr a homicide, rejecting earlier claims that the officer took his own life.

The verdict came at the end of a coroner’s inquest held last week in Grand Bahama. Presided over by Coroner Kara Turnquest Deveaux, the five-member jury determined that Constable Wright was murdered, prompting a formal referral of the case to the Director of Public Prosecutions for a criminal investigation.

Wright was reported missing by his family on May 14, 2021. Later that evening, police discovered his body in the Deadman’s Reef area, inside his vehicle with a single gunshot wound to the head. His service weapon was reportedly found in his right hand.

However, crucial forensic inconsistencies quickly emerged. Officers testified that no gunshot residue was detected on either of Wright’s hands, and no fingerprints were found on the weapon. Testimony also revealed that Wright was left-handed and rarely used his right hand, casting further doubt on the suicide theory.

Initial assessments by then-Inspector, now Assistant Superintendent of Police, Romando Russell, classified the death as a suicide. But two weeks of testimony at the inquest painted a more complex picture.

Wright’s father, Robert Wright Sr, told the court he had pleaded with authorities to transfer his son off the island due to growing concerns about his mental well-being. He said he had observed troubling changes in his son three weeks prior to his death.

Authorities confirmed the recovery of three phones belonging to the deceased. Notably, a known criminal, Jamal Missick, was among the first people to arrive at the scene. Crime scene photographs suggested the area had been tampered with.

Although no morgue photos were presented during the inquest, the medical examiner confirmed that no drugs or alcohol were found in Wright’s system at the time of death.

Angelo Whitfield marshalled the evidence presented during the proceedings.