Police: Officers In Area While Man Shot
This afternoon [Sept 24] the Bermuda Police Service held a press conference to address the three firearm incidents that occurred yesterday, one which was reported to have occurred while Police officers were in the vicinity, which was today confirmed by the Police.
The gun violence rocked Bermuda, with many in the community outraged on many levels. Speaking on behalf of the Police Service today was Assistant Police Commissioner David Mirfield.
The first incident occurred around 11:30am on North Shore by First Church of God, and saw gunmen on a bike fire and strike a bystanders car as it was coming out of church. Thankfully, no one was injured in the incident. The Police stated this afternoon that the experience was terrifying for the occupants and they are receiving the support for the Bermuda Police Service. Mr Mirfield said that should the suspects be caught they will be charged with attempted murder.
The second incident occurred minutes after that, and saw men on a motorcycle in Court Street wielding what appeared to be a gun.
The third incident occurred six hours later in the St Monica’s Mission area, and saw a man shot by gunmen on a bike while the Police were nearby. The man, a 29-year-old who has been shot before and is known to the Police, and is in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital after being operated on.
A subject of much conversation after the event was the reports that Police officers were in the vicinity when the shooting occurred, with many reports stating they were sitting in a car close to where the incident occurred. Mr Mirfield acknowledged that there was a Police presence in the area, but said they did not witness the event, and following the shooting acted in a correct manner, moving to secure the scene and preserve forensic evidence.
Residents were angered yesterday, with the Police receiving the brunt of the anger. Mr Mirfield said he understood the anger, and also said that witnesses from the area have come forward and are assisting the Police.
When questioned as to why the area doesn’t have CCTV considering the high crime rate, Mr Mirfield said it is something that needs to be “desperately considered.”
Bernews has monitored the area heavily since the shooting, checking it 6 times from 10:30pm last night to 2pm this afternoon and we have not seen a single Police vehicle or officer present. When questioned about the lack of Police presence in the area, Mr Mirfield said he would look into it. Since then, up until 7:40pm tonight, Bernews repeated checks of the area, as well as talks with residents, indicates the lack of Police presence has continued.
Assistant Police Commissioner David Mirfield’s full statement that preceeded the questions follows below:
Firstly, I would like to give you an update on the condition of yesterday’s victim. The 29 year old man remains in intensive care following surgery but is described as ‘Stable’.
You will be aware that this shooting was the third firearms related incident that day, shots were fired near to the First Church of God on North Shore at 11:40am and shortly after that police responded to an anonymous call of an attempted shooting in Court St, that event cannot be confirmed, and no witnesses have come forward. We do not believe that the shooting outside the First Church of God was targeting any members of the church or the attendees at the wedding; the car that received a bullet impact was parked totally innocently and caught by a stray bullet. This was clearly a terrifying ordeal for the occupants who are receiving police support.
This once again demonstrates the random nature and total disregard for life that these individuals have. This will be treated as an attempted murder investigation and those responsible when caught will face a substantial prison sentence.
These latest shootings including the three during the Hurricane weekend have no obvious pattern, they are random, they are all committed by men on bikes, and the victims may or may not belong to rival gangs. What is absolutely clear is that these incidents are so brazen that the offenders have a total disdain for anyone other than themselves, and are prepared to destabilise not only their own community but the whole of this country. It is the role of the police to not only prevent the crime but to catch and convict those responsible. We have already had support from witnesses who are once again prepared to come forward and provide information. We are studying CCTV; forensic and ballistic material has been recovered and will be analysed. We are arresting, charging and convicting people for these offences; however we cannot do that alone.
Our Gang and Violence Reduction Strategy relies on a multi-faceted approach to target the gangs; this is both a complex social and law enforcement issue, that has to have all the elements of this approach to work as one. We together with the support of our partners in law enforcement, other agencies and most importantly the engagement of the community, can tackle this violence.
There has been progress, but I absolutely understand that some of our community are living in fear; we owe it to those people to protect them, and that is what we are striving to do. We have for example restructured the Service so that 85% of our staff is now dedicated to operational policing. The Service’s ability to effectively deal with these issues is bolstered by 24/7 firearms response patrols and a dedicated Gang Targeting Unit.
In addition in times of heightened tension we supplement our officers on the street to provide further reassurance. Finally, I would once again appeal for anyone to come forward who may have information to help in connection with any firearms related incident, not just these current events, to come forward; that can be in confidence by whatever means.
well done Bermuda Police Service !!! For you fantastic work sitting around for nothing..No1 is scared of the police, and no one should be..You all go and hire all these foreign Police that dont care about Bermuda and expect ppl communities to respect these Caribbean cockroaches? No1 will respect the police ever in Bermuda. This isn’t America were ppl can snitch, move to another state and change their whole life. plain and simple
Jason – I suggest you read some of the other articles and comments before posting your derogatory remarks. People have come forward defending the police and stating that they were not at the scene of the shooting. They were there in the seconds after it happened. It’s not as if the shooters were going to wait around for the police to show up. As for your comments about the Caribbean officers, you really need to get a grip. This island is desperately trying to move away from that mentality. Don’t be the one to spur on the cycle of racism and persecution of anyone who is a non-Bermudian. If we did not have foreign workers then we would not have a police service. There are so many young Bermudians caught up in the hype of gang and drug activity solely because of the lure of quick money and female attention. The police service will never be fully staffed by Bermudians as long as this continues. Do your part by showing love to the young and discarding of your hateful thoughts.