Eight murders in five days

A woman was shot and killed on Abaco yesterday, becoming the seventh person murdered in The Bahamas in five days.

Last night, police reported yet another murder – a homicide in Whites Addition where a male was shot – which raised the murder count to eight.

In addition to those murders, police said six men were murdered on New Providence during the five-day period: three on Wednesday, December 30; two on Thursday, December 31; and a school teacher on New Year’s Day.

Regarding yesterday’s murder, police said shortly after 1 p.m. they were called to a home in the Farm Road shantytown on Abaco where a woman was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head.

A man who also lives in the same home was also shot about the body and was last listed in serious condition, police said.

Officers arrested a man in the Murphy Town area, who was known to the victim. Police said that upon searching the man, they also recovered a .9mm Smith & Wesson pistol with 38 rounds of ammunition.

January 1

On New Year’s Day, a man was found in a pool of blood inside a classroom at Stapledon Primary School. 

Police said he was shot to death.

The victim was later identified as Andrew Valdez, a physical education teacher at the school. 

In a statement, the Ministry of Education said Valdez was a loyal teacher. 

“Described by Principal Amanda Moncur as a burst of energy to the P.E. Department, his colleagues laud him as dependable, and a willing team player who was well-loved by the 150 students and staff at the school,” the ministry said.

“As a man of numerous talents, Mr. Valdez also assisted in the school’s agriculture program which produces organic eggs, kale, Swiss chard … among other seasonal vegetables.

“Prior to his three-year stint at the Stapledon School, Mr. Valdez taught in Long Island for five years. Minister of Education Jeffrey Lloyd spoke with Mr. Valdez’s mother and other family members on Saturday morning to express the ministry’s deepest regret on his passing.”

December 31

On December 31, two men were murdered in separate incidents, police said.

In the first incident, police said they received reports of gunshots, shortly after 8 p.m., coming from a yard on Wilson Track. Police said the victim was seated in the back of his home when a man shot him. He died after being taken to the hospital.

In the second incident, which took place shortly after 8 p.m., police received a ShotSpotter alert in the area of Rupert Dean Lane, off Poinciana Drive.

When officers arrived, they discovered that a man was shot. He was taken to the hospital where he died of his injuries. 

December 30

As noted, police said three people were murdered on Wednesday, December 30 in two separate incidents.

According to police, two men died in an incident shortly after 7 a.m. on Wednesday morning.

Police said they received reports of a shooting on Pitt Road. Responding officers met the bodies of two men lying on the ground with gunshot wounds.

The men were pronounced dead. Police said the occupants of a car shot at a group of people, hitting the victims.

On Wednesday night, shortly after 10 p.m., police said they received reports of another shooting incident on Malta Street and Guyana court.

A man who was shot had run to a nearby residence. He was taken to the hospital but died of his injuries. 

With 74 murders recorded in The Bahamas in 2020, the numbers were the lowest since 2008, and represented a 21 percent decrease compared to the 2019 count.

Many have questioned whether COVID mitigation measures, including curfews and weekend lockdowns, contributed to the lower numbers.

Numbers began trending upwards towards the end of the year, with 11 murders recorded in December alone.

However, Minister of National Security Marvin Dames yesterday touted the improved figures as evidence of the good work of the police force.

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source https://thenassauguardian.com/eight-murders-in-five-days/