The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

THE sister of 24-year-old Aliastair Salvatoreo Major III said she has forgiven the person who shot and killed her brother in downtown Nassau, even as his family struggles with the trauma of seeing graphic footage of his final moments circulated online.

Her comments came as relatives, friends and members of the community gathered at Goodman’s Bay on Friday night for a candlelight vigil, ten days after Major was fatally shot near the junction of Bay Street and Parliament Street.

“God teach us to forgive everybody,” his sister, Tanika Victor, said. “Just know we are very hurt. This is foreign to us. It’s sickening as well, but you are forgiven. God has the last say.”

Major, the youngest of four siblings and the family’s only boy, was known on TikTok for food reviews and other content.

Initial police investigations indicated that Major became involved in a verbal altercation with another man, who allegedly produced a firearm and shot him.

The gunman reportedly fled in a white Japanese vehicle travelling south along Parliament Street.

A graphic video recorded shortly after the shooting and widely circulated on social media showed Major lying motionless on the pavement while bystanders tried to assist him.

Ms Victor said the footage's circulation compounded the family’s grief.

“As you know, the media is a big killer in the Bahamas,” she said. “People tend to record everything that happens, the bad and the good, and we’re seeing that on the internet truly hurt.”

She described the experience as a “culture shock” for the family.

Ms Victor said she learned of her brother’s death about three hours after the shooting after turning off her phone for the night.

“That’s the night I decided to turn my phone off to just rest, and I was awakened by the dead three hours later,” she said, adding the family had expected Major to be at home.

Another video circulating online appeared to show Major alive at a nightclub earlier that night, wearing what appeared to be the same clothes seen in footage after the shooting.

Ms Victor said she found some comfort in seeing that her brother appeared happy in his final hours.

“God has a funny way of doing things,” she said, “and I guess that was his last time of showing his love and his passion for food and content creating.”

She said she was glad to know he had been laughing, smiling and enjoying himself.

Major’s social media presence meant he was known beyond his immediate circle, and Ms Victor said the family has been grateful for the support that followed his death.

She said her brother was passionate about food reviews and content creation and had hoped to take his work beyond The Bahamas.

“It hurts to know that he wasn’t able to leave behind a legacy,” she said, “but the legacy he left alone is well done.”

Police previously disclosed that Major was wearing an electronic monitoring device at the time of his death in connection with a serious offence, although they did not provide details.

The Nassau Guardian reported in July 2024 that Major had been charged in connection with the attempted murder of Rayshaun Rolle.

Ms Victor said the family is still struggling to understand the killing and could not say what justice would look like.

“We are not handling it so well,” she said. “This is so foreign to us.”

She said the family had always been close.

“It’s always just been me, my mom, and my siblings,” she said. “We talked everything out together. So this is hitting us very hard.”

At Friday’s vigil, family and friends lit candles in Major’s memory and described him as a comedian, loving and full of life.

Ms Victor said his death should be a reminder to show people appreciation while they are alive.

“My one wish to everybody,” Ms Victor said, “is to show people love while they are here. Don’t wait till they go to show love, give them their flowers while they’re here, cause it hurts.”

The vigil ended with dozens of people singing “Bind Us Together” as the family continued to mourn its youngest sibling.