One dead in double shooting in church parking lot

A body was taken from the scene of Saturday’s shooting on West End Avenue. Photo: Nikia Charlton

A double shooting near a church left one man dead and another hospitalized, and a separate shooting Saturday left another man in critical condition.

The fatal shooting happened at about 4:15 p.m. after shots were fired on West End Avenue.

Police arrived at the scene and found two men, believed to be in their 20s, with gunshot wounds. One died at the scene, and the other was taken to hospital.

Officers said the victims were standing with a group of other people in a church parking lot when two men got out of a dark Japanese car and opened fire, hitting both men multiple times.

Superintendent Terrico Sweeting, at the scene, said police were alerted by Shotspotter technology to the shooting.

He said the Japanese car drove across West End Avenue before turning around and approaching the scene of the shooting.

Supt Sweeting said none of the victims were known to police and noted there were several CCTVs and that police were “heavily reliant” on CCTV footage for their investigations.

He urged people to be “more vigilant and more careful.” He said, “How many bodies do we have to pick up every day as police officers?” Is this just our problem as an organization as the Royal Bahamas Police Force? Or is it a problem of the whole society? So we need to think introspectively as the Bahamas, as the Bahamian people. We always say: one nation, one people under God. Let’s be a real nation and one people under God, let’s have a real focus.”

Earlier around noon, a man was sitting in a vehicle on Willow Tree Street in Pinewood Gardens when two men got out of a dark Japanese car and fired shots into his vehicle, hitting him in the upper and lower body.

The 25-year-old victim was taken to the hospital in a private car, where he is in serious condition.

Police ask anyone with information to call 911, 919, CID at 502-9991/2 or Crime Stoppers at 328-8477.