Premier Urges Cooperation & Calm After Shooting

June 24, 2012

[Updated] Premier Paula Cox, Minister of National Security Wayne Perinchief and Opposition Leader Craig Cannonier expressed their sincere condolences to the family of the victim of yesterday’s fatal shooting, and urged any witnesses to come forward.

At around 5.15pm yesterday [June 23] two men on a bike wearing dark visors rode up to Jason’s Barbershop on North Shore, with one man running inside and opening fire inside the barbershop,

He fired multiple times, fatally wounding a 31-year-old man, before running out of the Barbershop and escaping on the motorbike heading towards Spanish Point.

Premier Cox said: “This tragedy can only mean sorrow for another family in this community and our first thoughts must be for them. I encourage calm and restraint in the wake of this mindless act and urge the community to unite in its support of the family, the Police and each other.”

Minister Perinchief said: “We have seen in these last few months how important witnesses and community involvement can be to solving crime. I urge anyone with information that might assist the Police investigation to come forward.”

The Premier concluded: “However and wherever we worship today, let us all spare a moment to remember those affected by this tragedy and encourage those who can assist the Police to do so.”

Opposition Leader Craig Cannonier also spoke out saying, “To the family and loved ones of the victim, we extend our deepest condolences, and to the people who witnessed this appalling act we extend our sympathy and support.

“Our Prayers are with you. The Police will need all the help they can get to solve this crime, and so I urge anyone with information to step forward to help out.”

Police are appealing for anyone who may have seen two men on a motorcycle in the North Shore Road, Pembroke area in the vicinity of Jason’s Barbershop around the time of the incident to contact the Serious Crime Unit on 295-0011 or the independent & confidential Crime Stoppers hotline on 800-8477

This is the second murder of 2012, following the murder of 24-year-old Stefan Burgess in January.

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Comments (29)

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  1. Liars! says:

    issuing statements about calm, really there you two…….there should be a massive contingent of police all over north shore and the rest of the island doing spot checks for the retaliation shooting that is going to happen in the next few days. But wait, you have no money do you? l see people working from the parks dept. today and a few other lucky gov workers….where are the cops? haven’t so much as seen one today!

    Pathetic Government, you go on and vote the plp back in folks and see where we are in another five years

    • Blue moo says:

      Too true, weak, incompetent Government. And don’t say this is no time for politics, this is exactly the time to shout it from the rooftops – PLEASE LET’S GET RID OF THIS LOT AND ELECT PEOPLE WHO CAN STOP THIS ROT.

  2. Come Correct says:

    This too shall pass right? You’re constantly looking to the public for information yet you can’t guarentee their protection, why don’t the police earn their bloated paychecks? How easy/hard is it to test for gunpowder residue? If its portable you could have easily locked off spanish point and tested everyone coming out. There’s one road in, marine police on the water and embody the regiment to fan out and sweep the entire area from admiralty house to the boat club. That would be the seen doing something, and the chances of finding your killer greatly increases along with the chances of convicting him. The longer it goes on, the more likely it goes unsolved. I’m honestly starting to believe this is the governments form of population control, why else would you do virtually nothing?

    • enough says:

      Test for gun powder residue under what Act? What if you say ‘No’…are you happy to be arrested? again, under what Act?
      Please think through your assinine nonsense. Yes, it’s frustrating and no doubt police can and should do better but until the public start stepping forward, there’s only so much that can be done. Harsh but true.
      People already whine and moan about stop/checks under section 315(f), random gun powder testing of anyone who is in a location shortly after a shooting would go down real well I’m sure. Guess who wouldn’t cre about being tested? Yeah, the ones with nothing the hide, the others would question the legality and get off.
      Move on.

      • VJ says:

        I agree! The same people slamming the police will be screaming from the top of their lungs if this happened! The same mamas who are crying when something happens to their sons are the same ones who turn a blind eye to it in the first place. All of the people sheltering these gangbangers should really be ashamed of themselves. Stop sticking your heads in the sand and take a stand or be prepared to take out your black suits time and time again. If you don’t care about anything else, at least think of all the fatherless children out there (yours could be next)and call CRIMESTOPPERS!!!!!

      • Come Correct says:

        If a simple swab on the wrist is too much then deal with the gun crime, it won’t stop unless we stop it.

        • Come Correct says:

          Oh and they can kick your do in with no warrent for drugs, due to the PACE act I think, so like I said, virtually nothing done on gun crime.

          • enough says:

            Virtually nothing done on gun crime? Really? Wow.
            What would you suggest? BPS/DPP have sent a fair amount of people to jail for a long time; that bie this week Roberts, that was ammo and drugs stopped from hitting the streets….I think they’re doing a decent job.
            Info on ALL of these crimes/gun holders/gun users/drug dealers etc sits within the community and is quite widely held. Look inward ‘Come Correct’. It’s easy to be critical, I’d like to hear you suggest what police can do better or differently. If all you have is swabbing hundreds of people after a shooting, we still have someone shot and/or killed, a massive bill to analyze all these swabs and a massively PO’d populus.

  3. Turb says:

    & liars what is the OBA going to do to make the Violence better in Bda?

    • Formidable Deviant says:

      Surely we give them a go? I mean its not just gun crime, they’ve failed at pretty much everything. Whilst you can’t promise anything with the OBA, surely we are long beyond statements of will do, won’t do. Quite simply the PLP have failed badly, and the OBA deserve a chance. Good lord, if we don’t elect someone else, please turn the lights out, we are in a terrible mess.

  4. jussayin says:

    Ya kiddin rite? Sure ppl r willin to cooperate but they dont have much faith in what happens after these guys r caught. how bout we make the prision system a struggle for the PRISONERS n maybe, just maybe, something will change

    • Yup says:

      That’s the problem. Our prison system is a joke!! Some guys go their clean and come out drug addicts….go figure.

    • Whistling Frog says:

      @ jussayin: Ya right, change when? You see how they had planned a fathers day outing for the prisoners a few weeks back… What a f?cking joke for a correctional institution. Whats next sessions twice a month with beers on the house?? SMDH

      • jusayin says:

        i think you obviously didn’t really read whwaat i wrote Whistling Frog…i clearly stated that they make the situation UNCOMFORTABLE up there. so what you just stated was a moot point. hey btw i give reading comprehension courses if you’d like to take them. it might help with your rebuttals in the future.

  5. M.P.Mountbatten JP says:

    Words fail me .

  6. Nuff said says:

    So I am sure that I am not the only one that thinks that prisoners should be cleaning the streets and earning their keep but … Can someone tell me why they doon’t!! OBA how about that idea! Would love one of you to comment why I can’t happen!

    • RUFKM says:

      Though I agree, the reason why it can’t is that is slavery. Can’t force people to work for nothing.

      • ann says:

        They dont work for nothing, we are paying over $80,000 a year for them to sit and relax, put shackles on them and start cleaning up the island they are are trashing!

      • jt says:

        ummm – room and board = $85,000 per year – that is not “nothing”.

      • Mussel Pie says:

        Give me a break. They are in Westgate to pay off a debt to society. They should be made to work for their $85,000 room and board, health insurance etc. Just like the rest of us work.

        If they spend years in jail sitting on their asses and then get out how can they be expected to start contributing to society if they’ve been on vacation at our resort jail.

    • martin says:

      puting prisoners out on the street will endanger more innocent people as it was proven some years back when a prisoner murdered a german tourist around the west end, if i recall hearing about it, also imaging having some inmate with a history working in and about the street will be an eye sore for our visitors and should they be vocal can harm our tourist trade more than the comments printed by this very news paper that some people summit., when some of the prisoners have unfinished business it can be cause for some ones retaliation and so to say that you are waiting for the light to change and on the side you have an inmate with a history and someone decides to attack such person do you beleive that the attacker will care that you or others be caught in the line of fire were the simple shock can cause death by a heart attack if nothing else. Are you willing to take that chance with you or your loved ones not to mention our bread and buter be guest workers or tourist? I think not. but i see your point in making then work i beleive the idea is great and by implementing some sort of work program it can help maintain them such as eat what you grow and only that maybe then the gov can start to pay this crazy gov debt down, that in it self is punishment, Bermuda needs all the help it can get and by this i mean all no politics just sense prisoners can have a work areas built and asigned for diferent purposes first teach all prisoners to sew all police ,postoffice,bus drivers,work and engeneering,primary and high students uniforms should be made in Bermuda for Bermuda by the inmates creating a local production this way the money saved by governmet on staff uniform can pay for their keep at the prison second buy including the school uniforms the gov can sub the materials and take some burden on the struggling families while keeping everyone looking fressh and clean giving the chance that maybe introducing the student fare back can once again help inprove the transportation system.a deterant for future criminals from young would be not the make what all are wearing foolish pride can be a big desion maker good or bad.

      also it will not be slavery when people are working to pay for their keep ..

  7. Dontworryboutathing says:

    Have the MOB prisoners working in town area, say Court Street and the 42nd and Parkside prisoners working in Somerset. That should solve a lot of problems!!!!

  8. Common Sense says:

    This is another tragic case in which we are likely to hear that the victim is yet another young black man. Both the Premier and Minister Wayne Perinchief, and Opposition Leader Cannonier, have all said the right thing – offering condolences to the victim’s family and urging the public to provide any information to assist in the investigation.

    As usual, someone comes out with another totally unrealistic “pie-in-the-sky” method of solving gun crimes. Just round up everyone in Spanish Point and test them all for “gunpowder residue”! Please just think about this proposal for a moment and then tell us under what grounds are you going to stop, arrest and detain hundreds of people with no cause other than they live in Spanish Point (miles from the scene of the crime). Are you going to stop and check literally everyone in Spanish Point? Is it just possible that the culprits turned off in another direction, or would have changed their clothes before they come out again?

    I truly wish that there was and is more that we the public can do to assist the Police, but it really boils down to those who live closest to these men to say enough is enough and provide the Police with ANY information that might assist in their investigations. If not, I’m afraid that those family members who are trying to protect their brothers and sons, and in some cases, fathers, will be donning their black suits and outfits again and again. Another tragic case.

    • Come Correct says:

      Ok buddy cuz that’s not how they catch criminals in the US right? Just sit back, don’t do a thing and the criminals will just turn themselves in. Oh and no one said anything about detaining hundreds of people, but your idea was better.

      • Common Sense says:

        @Come Correct – I appreciate your frustration at not seeing these dreadful crimes solved quickly, but your suggestion that the Police could have “easily locked off Spanish Point and tested everyone coming out” in neither practical or effective in any way. First of all, the testing for gunpowder residue has to be done in laboratory conditions, not with some sort of portable machine where any defence lawyer would quickly destroy the credibility of any evidence collected with allegations of cross-contamination.

        There are numerous other reasons why this suggestion is totally impractical, not least of which is that the culprits were heading off in the general direction of Spanish Point, so there was no guarantee that they ever entered the Spanish Point area. But I know your heart is in the right place – you want these murders to stop and for the culprits to be caught.

        I have never for one moment suggested that the Police simply sit back and wait for the culprits to turn themselves in! They will go through a very thorough investigative process, and that could include testing for gunpowder residue if and when they have suspects, and also using other forensic techniques, conducting house-to-house enquiries, and interviewing any possible witnesses.

        But the reality is that the Police both here and in the U.S. and elsewhere around the world rely to a great degree on the information supplied to them by witnesses, and those most likely to have information are going to be the friends and family members of those involved in this gang violence. I truly feel for these families who are being split apart by such needless violence, but I believe that a turning point in gang violence will only occur when families decide they’ve had enough and start to quietly assist the Police by providing the kind of information needed to stop this mindless violence

  9. The Truth (Most Imitated) says:

    If you want those thugs and others to listen to Cox, Perinchief and Cannonier they have to be role models witch they are not..

  10. Still In Shock says:

    Good Day,

    With all these new laws being passed regarding cell phones…When are you gonna pass NO BLACK VISORS ON ANY HELMETS!!

    $1,000 fine if u do have a black visor….Something has to give…It will make the shooters ride with ski mask on which is more SUSPICIOUS, then a black visor….I HATE when I see guys in black helmets with black visors…Scarey as heck!!

    • just a librarian says:

      i do believe they have already issued a statement against these types of visors but obviously nothing has been done since then. i don’t believe the police have the right to remove them from those who already possess them, unfortunately, but something can be done to stop cycle shops from bringing them in.

    • CAT says:

      They can ban tinted visors all they want…people will still wear them to commit the crime…Have some common sense