The scene at Fleming Street on Tuesday night, where a four-year-old boy was shot and later died.
NASSAU, The Bahamas--A four-year-old boy died in hospital on Tuesday night after he was shot in the latest round of violence to plague New Providence, police said. Police said the boy and his parents were on West and Fleming Streets when a man who was being pursued and shot at by two gunmen ran past their car.
“The child was subsequently shot and was taken to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries,” Chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings said.
“Presently, the intended target, a 27-year-old male of Fleming Street, is in police custody and is assisting with this investigation.”
The incident was one of three shootings on Tuesday. Police reported that a man also died in hospital after a shooting earlier in the day at West Street and South Street. And in a separate incident, two people were shot in Yellow Elder Gardens, police also reported, though no details on their condition were provided.
This was the third day in a row that someone was shot and killed on New Providence. On Sunday, a man who was on bail was shot and killed at a gas station at the intersection of Carmichael Road and Faith Avenue as he waited to put gas in his car, according to police.
On Monday, police said a man was “accidentally” shot and killed by his co-conspirator as they attempted to kill another man in Pinewood Gardens. Police also reported that two men were killed in separate incidents last Thursday.
One man was killed in his Peter Street home and another man was stabbed to death after he got into a fight with a man at a docking terminal on Paradise Island.
So far for the year, there have been 81 murders, according to data provided by police. The 2022 figures are on track to surpass the 2021 murder toll if nothing changes. In 2021, 119 murders were recorded throughout The Bahamas. The bloodiest year on record was 2015 when 146 murders were recorded, but the first quarter numbers for 2022 indicate that record could be surpassed.
In June, Minister of National Security Wayne Munroe said that crime was up 18% for the first five months of 2022, compared to the same period last year.
“The police force has shared that there is still ongoing turf war over territory, drugs, and guns on our streets,” he said.
Commissioner of Police Clayton Fernander, who recently took charge of the force, has promised to combat the constant flow of blood on the streets of New Providence. Fernander established Operation Ceasefire, which aims to saturate the streets with officers, disrupt and target prolific gang members and engage in intelligence-based operations. He said many of the men murdered this year were out on bail and targeted by rival gangs.
“The loss of one life is too much,” he said. “We are losing too many of our young men on both sides of the coin as victims and perpetrators.” ~ The Nassau Guardian
