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The Bahamian girlfriend of a man killed in Walmart, Lauderdale Lakes, said his killing is forever etched in her memory. But she will remember him for his big heart.

“Having a big heart that he has, he went down a hero,” Makia Ford said of her boyfriend Thierry Bastien who was identified as Haitian-American.

Ford, who is from the Bahamas but lives in the US, said she and 41-year-old Bastien were alerted to cries of ‘help’ from a woman while the couple and their children shopped at Walmart, Lauderdale Lakes in Broward County, Florida.

Bastien ran to assist the woman involved in a dispute with another Walmart employee who was not on duty at the time.

“I told him, ‘Don’t go,’ but he said he’s just going to help,” Ford told Local 10 News.

As Ford looked on, 22-year-old Tirone Sterling shot Bastien, though she pleaded with him to save her boyfriend’s life who fathered two children, including an infant she held in her arms at the time of the incident.

Instead, an angry Sterling stood over Bastien and shot him six times— in the leg, stomach and chest.

Bastien died in the hospital.

“He was all about family, working, and taking care of his family. It’s not fair to the kids. It’s not fair to me,” Ford said.

“He (Sterling) just took that away from us.”

Bastien grew up in a close-knit family with Karlise Honore, his cousin in Brooklyn. She remembers him as “big-hearted” and “charming.” Later, he moved from New York to South Florida where he founded a label company, CZF Da Label.

“If you met him for two minutes, you would feel like you know him,” Honore said.

Though many debated Bastien’s choice to interrupt a fight, Honore said, “In this day and age, your good deed might cause a negative result and something that’s harmful. I think it’s hard for some people who are naturally good-natured and want to see people protected. It’s hard for them to stand back.”

Maxine Pierre who is a friend of the victim said Bastien always defended him against bullies when they were children. “As a Haitian immigrant, I’d get bullied all the time. Thierry Bastien would stand up for me whenever he was around. He’d even walk with me on his way home some days.”

Karl Abellard echoed his sentiments. “He stood up for many kids in the neighborhood.”

Sterling was arrested hours later at an apartment complex and was charged with murder.

Ford said Sterling’s arrest will do nothing to quash the horror she witnessed. She’s forever changed.

“It’s the sounds that playback in your head. It’s the whole scene that plays back in your head.”

Only the strong survived the boat tragedy on Sunday when 17 Haitians including a child died when a human smuggling vessel capsized in Bahamian waters on their way to Florida.

The dead included 15 women, one man, and a child. The other 25 passengers were rescued from the 30-foot speedboat which overturned in choppy waters in Nassau.

It was reported that 60 people may have been on board the boat and authorities may be searching for up to eighteen missing people, unaccounted for.

In a picture issued by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, only men were seen sitting atop the capsized vessel, awaiting rescue by divers.

A woman was pulled from the hull of the boat and was reported to have survived due to an air pocket.

Commissioner of Police Clayton Fernander said divers heard a knocking from the hull of the boat and found one woman.

“I think that’s what kept her alive.”

Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he sympathized with the parents of the victims.

“This new drama saddens the whole nation,” he said. “While sympathizing with the parents of the victims, I launch, once again, an appeal for national reconciliation in order to solve the problems that are driving away, far from our soil, our brothers, our sisters, our children.”

The passengers who survived the ordeal said they paid smugglers $3000 to $8000 to catch the boat ride to Florida. Authorities have since arrested two Bahamian traffickers who are known for other criminal acts.

74 Haitian nationals were repatriated to their home country on Monday morning.

The details

• The Department of Immigration repatriated 57 adult Haitian men, 3 boys, 13 adult Haitian women, and 1 girl to Port-au-Prince, Haiti onboard a Bahamasair flight.
• The group consisted of 21 convicted adult migrants lawfully detained and processed in Long Island and an additional 53 migrants who were lawfully detained and processed for Illegal Landing in South Andros over the Holiday Season.
• The repatriation exercise was led by Senior Immigration Officer Vonetta Darling Flowers and a team of eight (8) officers from the Department’s Enforcement Unit.

What Immigration said

“The public is reminded that the Department of Immigration is committed to carrying out the mandates of our agency to combat illegal migration by establishing effective border
control management to ensure compliance with the Statute Laws of our country.

“We further wish to remind members of the public that it is a criminal offense punishable
by law to harbor illegal migrants in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.”

The big picture

• 45 adult Haitian nationals were found in Long Island after the vessel ran aground the day after Christmas, and 51 were found in Mar’s Bay, Andros on three days after Christmas.

Featured Image: File photo Dept of Immigration

Fifty-one Haitian nationals were found on Andros on Monday.

• 44 Haitian men and 7 Haitian women were arrested and detained by officers of the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) and Bahamas Immigration Department.
• Their vessel ran aground at Mars Bay, Andros.
• Immigration officials have been dispatched to Andros for investigation and further processing of the migrants who are presently being held at the Government Complex, The Bluff.
• All migrants have received medical attention from the local Ministry of Health personnel, and are reported to be doing well.
• The public is reminded that The Department of Immigration is committed to carrying out the mandates of our agency to combat illegal migration by establishing effective border control management to ensure compliance with the Statute Laws of our country.

This comes after 36 adult Haitian men and nine women were found in Long Island on Saturday after their vessel ran aground. They were captured and were to appear before a Magistrate in Long Island on Tuesday.