shooting

An outpouring of support is building for a young expectant mother after the sudden loss of her husband, working with PIKE, with a GoFundMe campaign raising nearly $45,000 to help her navigate the difficult months ahead.

The fundraiser was created to support Makayla, whose husband Cody was killed over the weekend. While investigations into the circumstances surrounding his death are ongoing, the focus for many has shifted to the family he leaves behind, particularly his wife, who is preparing to welcome their first child.

According to the campaign, Makayla and Cody had been married for just one year and were expecting a baby boy in August.

“Makayla and Cody’s love story was just beginning,” the fundraiser states. “Their hearts were full of hope as they prepared to welcome their first child.”

Cody had been working in the Bahamas with PIKE Electric at the time of his death, supporting his growing family. Those close to the couple describe him as a devoted husband and someone deeply looking forward to becoming a father.

Now, Makayla is facing what supporters describe as an unimaginable reality, grieving the loss of her partner while preparing to raise their child on her own.

“She’s overwhelmed by the sudden loss… and the uncertainty of how she’ll manage,” the fundraiser notes, pointing to the weight of funeral expenses, living costs, and the emotional toll of the days ahead.

Friends say Cody was expected to return home to Crawfordville, Florida this week to celebrate his wedding anniversary, a milestone that will now pass in mourning.

Details surrounding the incident remain under investigation, but the tragedy has resonated with many who see in Makayla’s situation a deeply human story of love and loss.

The GoFundMe campaign has become a focal point for that support, with donors from near and far contributing to help ease the financial burden during this time of grief.

Organizers say the funds will go toward immediate expenses and help provide some stability as Makayla prepares for the arrival of her son.

“Your kindness will help her cover immediate expenses and give her a little peace as she grieves and prepares for her son’s arrival,” the campaign reads.

The Royal Bahamas Police Force must be tougher and more diligent in vetting new officers to prevent rogue individuals from joining the force in the first place.

When police reported that one of its own was involved in a shooting on Sunday, wounding a 23-year-old man walking in the area of Cordeaux Avenue, then trying to evade capture by shooting back at officers before he was subsequently arrested, it gave the organization another ‘black eye’.

The RBPF has suffered shame before and is striving to improve the public’s trust in its organization.

The young off-duty officer could have easily gotten away with shooting and killing the victim, returned to work the next day, and pretended as if he had done nothing.

Who knows how many other incidents he is connected to? Proper investigations should determine that.

Imagine reporting an incident to him and he knows well the suspects and the witnesses involved. We may never know the possible outcome.

Unfortunately, this incident further erodes trust in the police.

Perhaps, police vetting standards are not high and tough enough. It is too easy for the wrong people to join the police.

Vetting must be improved so that individuals like him cannot enter the force.

The RBPF must do all it can to ensure the integrity of recruits.

This is crucial as the law enforcement agency seeks to hire new officers to combat the new threatening levels of crime in our society, and the government seeks to fulfil promises to swear in recruits to tackle crime fears.

Officers with criminal records, links to crime, links to criminals, or prospective individuals who may present a risk to the public, should not be considered.

The police must rebuild public trust and vetting recruits must be more rigorous and taken more seriously.

The police must do all possible to prevent unsuitable people from joining the RBPF.

An off-duty Carmichael Station police officer was arrested Sunday along with his mother and four other suspects and could be charged before the courts for shooting a 23-year-old man to the upper body as he walked Cordeaux Avenue.

The police officer who remains unnamed, was the occupant of a white Honda Accord who shot the man around 8 pm, when officers conducting an operation in the area were alerted to gunshots by the Shot Spotter Technology.

Police gave chase as the off-duty police and other occupants attempted to escape capture while shooting at officers.

The car eventually crashed and two of the suspects fled. One of the men attempting to climb a wall received a severe laceration as a result and was arrested.

He was then identified as a police officer.

After medical treatment, he remains detained.

The car in which he occupied had ammunition and a loaded firearm.

A search warrant of his home yielded ammunition and the subsequent arrest of his 41-year-old mother.

The suspects in the vehicle were a 22-year-old man, a 22-year-old woman, and two 26-year-old men.

Social media users were shocked to find out that a police officer was in custody for one of the country’s latest shooting incidents.

“This is simply a disgrace and shameful.” Christine Adderley said. “No integrity…I hope they get the entire hand of the law.”

Coralee Wright asked that the law “make him a good example because he is the law.”

Elgin Rahming said some “bad apples” are on the police force because family, friends and neighbors “lie” when “police come around asking about the character of the individuals who are considering joining the force.”

“We lie and give a good report when we know that the persons are criminals…We can’t give the police force devils and expect angels when they become police officers.”

Authorities said it is committed to holding any person accountable who violates the laws of the Bahamas “regardless of status, title or position.”

Photo credit: Social media circulation

The aunt of the 17-year-old boy shot in a brazen attack at South Beach Esso Gas Station said he would not return to work at the service station after the traumatic experience.

“He [has] never been in trouble,” Tunyia Rolle said of her nephew Demetrio Forbes.

Rolle, a nurse and part-time worker at the gas station was not expecting to witness the attack on her nephew and to use her medical skills on site.

She recalled the severe bleeding and her desperate attempts to save him.

“The only thing I coulda do is remain calm… so I decided to remain calm and try to do my best to keep him talking and keep him alert,” she told The Tribune.

“He wasn’t aware of what was going on. He didn’t even know he got shot. I keep him talking and letting him ask God for forgiveness.”

Widely shared CCTV footage showed a lone gunman approaching the teen around 8 pm on Tuesday, shooting him in the head and running off to a waiting vehicle.

The suspect remains at large.

Young Forbes is suffering from a fractured skull, but is alert and talking, his aunt said.

“I know they say they may have to transfer him to ICU and give him some medication for the swelling of the brain because the brain isn’t really damaged.

“It’s just a bruise, and they don’t even want to do surgery to do damage to the brain. So they’re just watching it for a little while to see how the brain is going to heal on its own.”

Though police have not revealed a possible motive for the brazen shooting, Rolle believes Forbes was not the intended target.

“He [has] never been in trouble, and just Friday he messaged me, and he was like, ‘I want to go to BTVI to do mechanic,’ so I told him Wednesday I’m off, and we could see and get the forms and stuff,” she said.

The shooting comes amidst a flurry of homicides and gun violence in the country which have resulted in calls for the implementation of stiffer penalties for criminals.

Just Wednesday, Prime Minister Philip Davis announced a change to the Bail Act, an attempt to curb violence by revoking bail if a suspect commits a second offence.

The brazen shooting of a pump attendant at Esso Gas Station South Beach, on Tuesday night has left many shocked, fearful, and frustrated.

The business’ surveillance camera capturing the bold evening attack, is terrifying, especially for customers of the station who were present when the gunfire erupted across from the East Street South police station.

“If this doesn’t show criminals have no respect for law and order then I don’t know what to say,” Shannon Darville said.

Sherry Cleare said she had no idea someone was shot. “This is so sad. We were right there and didn’t hear a thing. That pump attendant was so unaware.”

The video shows a slim, lone gunman dressed in a black hooded jacket, walking from the side of the building toward the last pump. He then shoots the attendant who is serving a customer and pumping gas into their vehicle. After what seems like a single shot, the attendant drops to the ground and the gunman dashes off in another direction toward the road, disappearing out of view.

Police said he got into a waiting white Japanese-modeled vehicle.

“The heart of man has waxed cold. These are the last days,” Yolanda Fountain lamented.

“I frequent that station. At 8 pm, plenty of people are about then, that could also be hurt,” Shirley Mireault said.

Authorities said the victim is a 17-year-old boy who remains in stable condition.

“Capital punishment please, because just how he walked up and shot that man, he needs to be walking in the back of the jail getting deal with…This is ridiculous. Someone in that car could have gotten hurt,” Davianna Christine said.

This comes after a spree of homicides and shooting incidents, since the beginning of the year. The spree has awakened the call for stricter measures against criminals like capital punishment and revoking bail.

Already, 17 people have been killed for the year.

Authorities have not yet determined if a man could face criminal charges over the fatal shooting of a coworker while clearing a BB gun.

The unidentified man in his 30s was enjoying a day shooting canisters with friends behind a building on Faith Avenue, when he was hit to the upper body by the pellets from the weapon, and died on the scene.

Friends and family gathered near the incident, hugging and consoling each other after the tragedy around 5 pm on Saturday.

Morticians carried the man’s body away from the scene.

Police have not identified the people involved but are questioning a 27-year-old man responsible for the killing.

The investigation remains open and active. No charges have been filed in regard to this incident.

Police cautioned that users should follow safety when clearing guns.

The BB gun identified as a high-powered rifle is designed to shoot projectiles and can be dangerous if it is not used properly.

Deaths by BB guns are unusual in the country but the man’s death proved fatal even though it does not have the power of an automatic weapon.

Though the murder rate is seemingly rising in the Bahamas, rarely are crimes directed toward foreigners.

On Wednesday around 8 pm, a German man was shot and killed in Kemp’s Bay, South Andros, while another German national was wounded during the attack.

Here’s a look at what we know, and still don’t know about the attack:

How it unfolded

The masked gunman approached three German men who were outside of their residence in Kemp’s Bay. He flaunted a gun, startling the men. They then ran inside the house but the gunman shot in the direction of the men, striking two of them.

The gunman ran away.

The wounded men were transported to the local clinic in the area but one man died. The other victim, shot in the shoulder, was airlifted to Nassau for medical help. His condition is serious.

Motive remains unknown

The suspect is on the loose. It is not known if he is a resident of the Kemp’s Bay settlement, if he is a resident of another settlement and traveled to Kemp’s Bay or if he traveled from Nassau to the island to commit the crime.

Authorities have not provided a motive for the shooting, or whether the attack was a random act. But detectives from Nassau will travel to the island on Thursday to investigate what happened.

Authorities did not reveal the name of the victims and whether or not the men were engaged in a project on the island, only that they lived at a “summer residence.”

Fears of safety growing

Andros is typically a serene island and free of crime, unlike Nassau.

The killing sent shock waves through the community and condemnation from its member of parliament. It underscores fears that violence is directed at family islands and foreign nationals, as Nassau grapples with the increase of guns and murders.

MP Leon Lundy said he is “shocked,” “angered” and “grieved.”

Police are investigating an early morning shooting that left a woman dead and a man in critical condition after gunmen attacked them at an intersection.

Police said it was after 9 o’clock on Saturday morning, the woman and man, occupants of a black Toyota Passo, stopped at the intersection of Victoria Blvd, Meadows Avenue.

Gunmen in the area, believed to be in a grey jeep, shot at them, and drove away.

The woman succumbed after transport to the hospital while the man is said to be in critical condition.

Police are still investigating the matter.

Photo credit: EWN

The officers shot in Abaco today are said to be “in good spirits.” The two officers were shot when they responded to a domestic dispute.

What happened?

• Officers identified as Chief Superintendent Smith and Officer Lyndon responded to the domestic dispute in Pelican Shores.
• Upon arrival, they were accosted by a man believed to be involved in the dispute.
• The man then shot the two officers in the face and stomach.
• The officers drove to the clinic and were treated for their “non-life-threatening” injuries.
• The suspect was also shot and transported to the clinic where he is being treated.

One man is dead and another is hospitalized after an incident unfolded on Commonwealth Boulevard in Elizabeth Estates.

The video circulated social media, showing two men in a vehicle, approaching the gate of a residence, but were shot by gunmen in a passing vehicle. The driver of the vehicle is seen in the video, exiting the vehicle, unaware of the passing vehicle.

A gunman exits the passenger side of the vehicle, shooting at victims with an AK-47.

What we know

• It was shortly after 7 pm when the incident unfolded on Commonwealth Blvd.
• The men were shot in the torso area of the body.
• A private vehicle transported victims to the hospital but they later received assistance from EMS services while en route to the hospital.
• One man in his late 30’s died while receiving medical help.

What is not known

• Police are still investigating the motive for the shooting.
• The age of the other shooting victim is not known.
• Police won’t say how many other people were in the vehicle with the victims.