gunviolence

Described as quiet, humble, and deeply rooted in her faith, 48-year-old Tamika Cime was “a Christian, a God-fearing woman,” her family said, someone who kept to herself, but held her family close.

On Monday night in a quiet home on Wilton Street, Centerville, on what should have been an ordinary night, Tamika sat on her bed, laughing, talking, and sharing food with her mother.

In her arms was her one-year-old grandson.

Moments later, gunfire shattered their conversation.

A bullet tore through the home as a gunman chased another man nearby. When the shots rang out, Tamika’s mother, Christine Nottage, screamed for the children to get down.

Then came the silence.

“When I look at the baby in her hand, that’s when I realised she got hit,” Christine recalled to the Tribune. “The baby was full of blood… and the blood coming from under her.”

Tamika never let go.

She was the planner, organiser, the person who made sure everyone was ready whenever the family travelled. She was the one who thought ahead and cared.

At D.W. Davis Junior High School, where she worked as a tuck shop supervisor and janitress, her loss has left a deep wound.

“She was dedicated, loved, and respected,” the school shared. “Her untimely death has left us shattered.”

To those who knew her, Tamika was warm and consistent.

“She was a decent, genuine person,” said family friend Michael Hepburn. “They good people… don’t bother anyone. Always home.”

Her sister, Deja McDonald, called her “the epitome of humble.”

“I could not ask for a better big sister,” she wrote. “You were loving, caring, and devoted… inside and out.”

“This is truly a nightmare,” her sister said. “You didn’t deserve this… We will fight for you. Justice will take place.”

A father is thanking God for his family’s safety after stray bullets pierced his home, narrowly missing his three daughters during a shooting incident on Tuesday evening.

Leroy Burrows shared the terrifying experience on social media, saying the gunfire shattered his daughter’s bedroom window and sent bullet fragments onto his eldest daughter’s bed.

“I’m in tears,” Burrows wrote. “One of us could have died last evening. As stray bullets came through my daughter’s room window, fragments from the bullet landed in my oldest daughter Lereesa’s bed.”

Burrows said his daughter was in another room studying when the bullets came flying through the window. His two younger daughters had stepped out of the bedroom just moments before.

“A few seconds after they left the room, bullets came through the window,” he said.

No one was injured, but Burrows said the close call left his family shaken and emotional.

Police have not confirmed where the shooting occurred or whether any suspects have been identified.

The frightening ordeal highlights ongoing gun violence in neighborhoods, where stray bullets can easily threaten innocent lives.

“We’re just grateful for life,” Burrows said.

The man killed in South Beach on Sunday is Garvin Hanna, believed to be 19 years old.

Hanna was described by friends on social media as “a sweet soul.”

Clad in a white shirt and black sweatpants, his body was found face down around 9 pm with gunshot wounds in a vacant area near the beach.

Police initially faced difficulty identifying him and pleaded with the family to assist them. Since the public plea, social media users posted his image and name.

Wilda Barochin said, “My tire went down and he stopped what he was doing to change it for me. Then he was like a son—sweetest soul ever.”

Friend Unique Neely added, “[He] never bothered [any] one. Justice for Garvin.”

And his cousin Addie Finlay reminisced on the days as children. “Rest easy lil cousin. We will miss you. Will never forget our days when you and sister use to be fighting to sit in the front seat of my car to touch my music.”

Garvin was one of two gun violence victims on Sunday. The other homicide occurred two hours later in the western area of New Providence.

The police force in the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos are looking for one man who is wanted in each country for murder, drugs and firearm offences.

Brandon Rahming, a 33-year old is wanted by the Royal Bahamas Police Force for drugs and firearms and his last known address is listed as Turks and Caicos.

But he is also wanted in the British Territory of Turks and Caicos for murder, drugs and firearm. The RTCIPF believes that his last known address is a local area, The Bight Providenciales and Freeport, Grand Bahama in the Bahamas.

Rahming is known to frequent the Dock Yard and Kew Town in Turks and Caicos, which have become synonymous with crime.

As the crime wave heightens there, on Tuesday morning, a family was the latest victim of murder in the Dock Yard. A man and woman were found in a car, shot to death. The youngest victim, a 3-year-old boy later died from the gunshots and a 7-year-old girl was wounded during the attack.

Last week Saturday, another man was shot in the crime hotspot area.

Why it matters

Officers from the Bahamas went to Turks and Caicos to help fight crime in the British territory. It was speculated that criminals may be traversing between the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos, though authorities have not presented that information to the public.

But on Saturday, Turks and Caicos Commissioner Trevor Botting met with Bahamas Commissioner Clayton Fernander to discuss deepening the relationship between the two countries.

Rahming is described as 5 feet, 7 inches of slim build. If you see him, you are asked to call Crimestoppers at 242-328-8477.

Friends and family of the woman killed on Sunday night expressed shock after they learnt that she was one of four victims killed by gun violence in the Rock Crusher area.

The sister of Keithra Stubbs who is believed to be in her mid 20’s, said, “They killed my sister.

“Keithra baby, you cut your big sister deep. I will always love you,” Lashanda Collie said.

Stubbs and others were purportedly in the area, engaging in conversation when two gunmen exited a Japanese-style van and fired assault weapons at the group of people that gathered, hitting the four people.

Stubbs was shot and died on the scene, while another individual identified by social media as Andrew Burrows was also shot, and died while in transit to the hospital.

People speculated that Stubbs was a partner of Burrows who was on bail for murder before his death, but Collie shot down the rumours.

“…my sister was an innocent bystander walking through her neighbourhood…”

Another sister, Kaylisa Stubbs screamed, “no” in disbelief when police reported Stubbs’ death. “Yall killed my sister. Yall killed me too.”

Cousin Ryesha Johnson said, “My heart is so heavy. Oh Lord,” while another cousin Debra Bain exclaimed, “My heart can’t take no more.”

A friend identified as Woods Neke said, “It doesn’t feel real. I have an empty feeling in my stomach.”

The violent death of Stubbs and Burrows brought the country’s murder count to 112 for the year.