Firearm Incident in Pembroke
[Updated] Bernews understands there was a firearm incident a few minutes ago in the Parsons Road, Pembroke area this afternoon [Nov 9]. It appears that shots may have been fired, however it is unclear at this time whether anyone was injured or not. We have very limited information at this early juncture but will update as able.
Update 3.08pm Official Police statement: “A few minutes after 2.40 Police responded to a confirmed firearms incident that occured on Fenton’s Drive. It appears men on a motorcycle discharged a firearm and made good their escape. At this point no one appears to be injured. Police have cordoned off the area and an investigation has commenced. We are advising anyone who lives in the area that they should find alternate parking as there’s a heavy police presence in the area.”
Update 3.16pm Bernews has spoken to eyewitnesses at the site of the incident who report five to six shots were fired in rapid succession before the motorcycle carrying the gunmen sped away from the scene.
Police have the road blocked off from the Parsons Road side [shown below], with crime scene tape spanning across the top of the hill [shown above].
Currently at least five police cars are on the scene and approximately 15 officers have fanned out over the Fenton’s Drive area.
Update 4:00pm: Speaking further with eyewitnesses, they state that the Police were in the vicinity this afternoon, and approximately 10 minutes after the Police left the gunmen came.
Update 3.08pm Official Police say that “Forensic evidence found suggested that a firearm had been discharged; however no one has reported being injured. An active investigation into this incident is underway. Police are appealing for any witnesses or anyone with any information to contact the Serious Crime Unit on 295-0011. An anonymous call can also be made to the independent, confidential Crime Stoppers Bermuda hotline at 800-8477.”
Things like this are the reason I’m scared to walk around at night. What happened to the Bermuda we used to know?
When will our youth get tired of killing each other….GOD HELP US…NO ONE ELSE CAN!!!
That’s a cop-out. WE are the only people who can help us, as individuals who have an effect on communities.
I agree…so when are we going to get together to help make a difference?
That’s the big question right there. I think that right now, we should target kids at around age 10…before they get involved in any of the shifty illegal stuff, and encourage them to participate in sports, and the arts, and things like debating. We need to start giving our children a more solid foundation, and part of that falls to the government through a focus on education and providing more than ‘the basics’ to kids, allowing them access to things that are more fulfilling.
Personally, I’d like to see tougher sentences for those convicted. I noticed earlier that the CrimeStoppers phone is “answered in Miami”. I wonder if people would feel better about calling if it was in a city with less of a local connection. (Don’t we have a direct flight there?) Set it up somewhere in Wyoming or somewhere where you’re less likely to find a friend of a Bermudian.
As for this generation of young people shooting each other…on that, I’ve no idea.
DEE you are very incorrect in saying when will our “youth” get tired! It is wise that if you are unsure of who is doing the shootings to keep your comments to yourself! If you are positive that it is youth you must know who they are! Call the police! Children are a bi-product of their parents – thus before you blame youth – take a look in your closet and see who in your generation drop the ball and is encouraging and or participating in “gang” life. As a young person who works hard I am appalled at your ignorant incorrect comment!
Wise.
We have people in their 30s and 40s doing these shootings as well. The older generations need to stop pointing their fingers at the young and realise that they are the ones that have continually failed us.
Youth…sorry to offend but the funeral notices don’t lie…it seems that it is only our youth who are being but to rest!! BTW…children are a bi-product of their parents and their communities. Kudos to you….for being one of our hard working, law abiding young citizens…now look in your closet and see if you have the guts to get out there on the corner to share and motivate our less motivated youth and for the record most of our generation dropped the ball when we allowed our government to dictate our education system and when we decided that money and material wealth were more important than our YOUTH. I never passed blame on the youth but at the end of the day the YOUTH are dying and the the YOUTH are filling up our jail cells…you do the math. It’s seems to me that you have it together so let’s get out there and start saving lives…those YOUNG and OLD. I ask you this….R U WILLING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE??????????????????????????????
Youth and one more thing…I see thugs and drug dealers sitting in my neighbourhood everyday and I am very sure you seem them in your hood too…Call the police you say…have you tired that lately??????
youth is right dee…if youn look closely…alot of the so-called “youth” are encouraged by their parents
shouldn’t there be casing on the ground from where the gun was discharged and shouldn’t they be able to lift a print. I am sure they are not all smart enough to use gloves when loading the gun. Does Bermuda have a finger print system?
No, actually, and that’s a huge problem that ought to have a simple solution.
@S – not if guys used a revolver. even if they lifted prints…ya gotta take dem guys to court. might have touched d gun…but when ya don’t have any witnesses that r gonna take de stand to say so and so did….den you got a bigger problem lol.
Witnesses are not required in court, and it is illegal to handle firearms or ammunition without a permit in Bermuda. It might not be enough to convict a person of attempted murder, but at least it will be a step in the right direction.
@ DEE its a very simple solution to all this ,it just takes a leader to take action ,simple as that.This is allowed to be toerated at the moment like i said on many posts if 200 – 400 troops marched through the streets this wouldnt be going on,how long until we get to this point!
its allowed to be tolerated i meant to say ,
we just need the gov or premier or whoever to stand up, it will take people to stand up to this and say enough is enough ,now lets take the gloves off and stop playing around,troops,troops troops is what is needed at this point to rip people out of homes,if this is not what people want to happen then nothing will change
Ripping people out of homes does not work in any other part of the world, so I doubt it will work in BDA. It will potentially cause more resentment to the police and possible escalate the issue – at least for now it seems to be they are shooting each other but how long until their aim improves or, worse, they shoot an innocent by stander?
I do agree though that a far firmer stance needs to be taken. I am off the Island but hope to move back in the next few months, but there doesnt seem to be a lot of high level discussion about this issue, at least not covered by the press? Please tell me that is not the case and that I have just missed it, but right now it seems the political parties are more concerned at inward jibes at each other than actually tackling other issues?
Dee is correct! If “Youth” was paying attention, they would know that most of these perps are 25 & under! Many of them are still in their teens. My peers (age 40 & over) fought with their fists. These so called men of this generation are quick to pick up a gun and shoot somebody. I’ve seen a steady decline in the mindset of the youth of today. No respect for authority, wanting everything given to them without having to work for it and just general attitude problems. I agree that we have to get to them when they’re very young, by the time the reach their teens it’s too late. I also agree when Dee said “God help us”…maybe if we turn back to Him we’d all be in a better place!!!
I am finding a suggestion, found on another site, more & more appealing. Round up all the known & suspected thugs. Take them out to the Naval Annex. Give each of them the same type of gun & equal ammo. Guard the narrow point of land so that they cannot escape. Tell them to go at it. Last one standing walks free.
No taxpayer funded lawyers need for them for years of legal proceedings. No $70K per year stays at the Westgate Hilton. It could be an annual event but methinks the gangster activity would drop to near zero after just one hunting party.
I’m pretty sure I’ve seen horror films along those lines. We are civilised people here in Bermuda. I’m sorry, but if we stoop to that level, even if just once for these “thugs”, we will have lost.
Heads aren’t being cracked because only blacks are dying! Imagine the response if whites were being targeted as frequently. I bet you 42nd, Parkside and whoever else would get their arses handed to them. Except for the occaisional tourist being robbed how many non black parents in Bermuda have to bury their kids because of violence? Why are we the only ones acting like animals? Why is it cool to be dumb?
If your kid is over 20, lives at home and doesn’t work or even want to, give him an ultimatum. Straighten up or get cracking! These kids need tough love sometimes.
If you remember there has been a white man shot and i know him. Nothing has come of his case. You are wrong by pulling out the race card and saying what you said. That is the problem in Bermuda people like you that have to open their mouths about the color of ones skin. I just happens to be that a lot of the people in gangs in Bermuda are black. I mean how ever i say this it is going to sound bad. You cant blame it on black and white the reason it is always described as a black male is because of what i said before.
@S! You don’t know what you’re talking about? If this was as big a problem in white areas you would see more drastic measures being taken. As a visitor for over 40 years I have never seen whites living amongst blacks in Bermuda like they do where I live now. How many everyday normal white families live on Court Street, 42nd street, Parkside area? Next to none if any. That’s why those boys are allowed to carry on like that. I’m not trying to make this a racial thing as much as point out that THEY don’t let that happen where they live. It’s not happening. I lived in East Ornage for most of my life and it was basically all black. Cops got to you when they felt like it. West Orange where I live now, whites, 10 cop cars come in 1 minute if you sneeze too loud. Hardly any crime unless it comes from outside like stealing cars. Only 2 people shot in the 10 years I’ve been there!
I will step in here and say MORE POWER TO YOU DIZZLE…. It’s the TRUTH and if it strikes you in the wrong place then maybe you aren’t “close enough” to the issue. If it was Tucker’s Town, Police wouldn’t tolerate it. It would be shut down ASAP! Bet there would be Police patrolling Tucker’s Town WITH GUNS! >>>Not unarmed and lookin’ stupid when GUNMAN roll up bussin shots.
Right Boss Lady! Imagine this happening in Tucker’s Town. Yeah right!
Quote from RG: “We keep hearing them; every month there is something going off.
“We can hear shots up 42nd (St. Monica’s Road), Middletown, Curving Avenue. We are fed up. We guys want something to change. The Police just take too long to get to where we are.”
Yeah whatever mate…
If the police started kicking down doors everyday in these areas and started “cracking heads” then you would be shouting that cops are racist and why aren’t tehy doing it in Tuckers Town?
So right Boss Lady. This happens in Tucker’s Town? Yeah right!
Quote from RG :
“We keep hearing them; every month there is something going off.
“We can hear shots up 42nd (St. Monica’s Road), Middletown, Curving Avenue. We are fed up. We guys want something to change. The Police just take too long to get to where we are.”
Ommmm! Who lives in these areas?
They left the area ten minutes before this most recent shooting, according to witnesses. Increased police patrols are probably going to be similarly ineffective.
AMEN TO THAT!!!
@Boss Lady, when was the last time you went through 42nd or Court St.? Police patrol every day through these areas with guns. If they didnt there would be more shootings then there are now. Yeah obviously police cant stay there 24hours babysitting these fouls they have lives too. Im not white and I sure as hell dont live in Tuckers Town but to say police are “TOLERATING” the violence because its concentrated in “black” neighborhoods is the stupidest thing Ive ever heard. I cant stop stressing that is not a police problem this is a community problem. The only difference is the Tuckers Town people I would imagine do everything in their power together as a group to ensure the violence stopped. Having said that it is silly to even compare the two areas as if they were the same. The plain and simple fact is they are not the same and never will be. Last I checked Par-la-ville Park was not a black neighborhood however a little girl got robbed at gun point and I dont see police patrolling with guns there. It will always appear to be a black and white thing when its only black people doing the crimes and are being victtims of the crimes. The police are no closer to solving the crimes involving the white population and the black population.
“It would be shut down ASAP!” – that’s because you’d get people from the community coming forward, which, it would seem, doesn’t really seem to happen in ‘black’ neighborhoods.
you’d think with so many incidents, SOMEONE would have seen SOMETHING at SOME POINT, no?
Darrin I feel that you raised a valid point and I don’t view your statement as predjudice or racist. It is what it is…it is a reality. I feel that some non-black communities do not have to experience these things on the norm because they are more knitted. Some if not most are house wives, hence more QUALITY time gets put in with the home and family. Not saying they are perfect but we, who make under 70grand a year, cannot afford to do that……which in turn puts a lot of pressure on our families. 3mths maternity leave…??? WHAT A JOKE! And thats just a small fraction of the real deal. Darrin, read up on the william lynch method…then you may get your questions answered.
Unity is strength and point blank we do not have it anymore. Nowadays a child comes to your house with your child and you know for a fact they come from a broken home, parents are convicts or crackheads…whats the first thing said…”don’t bring that child round hur, his mama is this or his daddy is that or he comes from middletown” like WTF….a lot of us who are not parents of these children most certainly can make a difference in their lives. You shun your childrens friends at those young ages, as time goes on your child is going 2 cling to that troubled child then do what they do. IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE A CHILD! So i feel that since we have strayed from those ways, this is another reason why our community has become as such.
We need to stop pointing the finger at the goverment…WE THE PEOPLE ARE THE GOVERNMENT! We don’t stand up no more…we sit on our couches….this laid back mentality is garbage. You’ve got adults hating on each other because somebody is got what they want…garbage garbage garbage…thats the ‘stinkin’ mentality being passed on to our children. And another biggy, Stop putting your man friends or lady friends before your children!! THAT’S NEGLECT!!! If you’ve got a father who puts in that quality time with his child and you know he cannot truly afford to pass you to much dollars stop running them in to court. Quality time in my view in more important than money…work it out! STOP USING UR CHILDREN AS WEAPONS SECLUDING THEM FROM THEIR OTHER PARENT!!! Straight MAWI for that way of thinking! It makes a huge impact when a child sees that even though mama and daddy are not together they’re still communicating souly for them. It gives them that security of love and attention! My thing is…we can point the finger at the educational system and OVER-POPULATION,amongst other things and say this is why we failing, but as individuals and a community??? We’ve got a crap load of tidying up to do…
AMEN!!!
110% AGREE!!! You are a very few on here that make so much sense.. Very well said. I would vote for you (thumbs up)
Kudos to you Lineage for setting the record straight!!!
I totally agree Lineage. My 19 year olddaughter from a previous relationship lives with me. Her mother is a party girl. I’ve been married for 14 years and have 6 year old son. I always come straight home from work and help the little one with his homework and then we play or I’m taking him to soccer, tennis, football or swimming. My daughter wasn’t allowed to run free in the streets when she was growing up. I always knew where she was or found her if I didn’t. I was and still am that crazy dad. Now she’s in college and working. She has only had one serious boyfriend because I’m that crazy dad. She doesn’t have gangster friends because I’m that crazy dad. She’s not pregnant because I’m that crazy dad.
I’m also that caring dad that spends time. My wife can take some credit too. Ha ha! I hear you Lineage and I’m familiar with The Willie Lynch letter or Willie Lynch Syndrome:
Our experts warned us about the possibility of this phenomenon occurring, for they say that the mind has a strong drive to correct and re-correct itself over a period of time if it can touch some substantial original historical base; and they advised us that the best way to deal with the phenomenon is to shave off the brute’s mental history and create a multiplicity of phenomena of illusions, so that each illusion will twirl in its own orbit, something similar to floating balls in a vacuum.
@ Darrin that is exactly the problem too many guys stayin home getting high all day year after year after year after year they offer nothing to society and their families do them no favours by allowing them to stay home like that,they dont report it and the next thing they know ,they cant tell him anything as they have taaken ove the household, the police need to address this ,our laws and way of life in bda is way too lenient on these guys thats why they feel they can do what they want
This is in response to OK… I was sitting in the parking lot at the bottom of the hill having lunch 15mins before this incident happen. To your question how often do I go thru these neighborhoods?? Hmmm let’s see… My Mom lives in one of those areas, I eat lunch DAILY in those areas… including Art Mels on 42…. I go to the hair dresser on Court St…. I eat at JA Grill too…. Should I go on?? Maybe it’s YOU that needs to frequent these areas more often cause I DO NOT SEE ARMED POLICE!!! However I will say, I did see an unmarked car with 3 policemen do a drive by while sitting there.
It is my OPINON that this would NOT fly in Tucker’s Town!! Furthermore; if you think they would be so quick to form a group and combat the situation in their hood… Where are they NOW??
Again if the police started camping out in these areas on a 24/7 basis and constantly harassed the known trouble spots there would be massive cries of racism because the cops are only targeting black neighborhoods etc. So you lots hypothetical assumptions are just that…assumptions which you believe justifies yourself in throwing around unfounded accusations.
As lineage said above it isn’t the government’s or police’s responsibility to teach people how to act right. That is the parents and family’s responsibility. I come from a single mother family who had to work several jobs to ensure that my sister and I were properly looked after and educated.
Bermudians need for once to start taking responsibility for their own actions instead of looking for an excuse everywhere explain their behavior.
@Tired. I agree with you somewhat but not camping out isn’t working so why not try the opposite? If you are a hard working, clean living person then I don’t see why you would even be in a situation for the cops to harrass you. If you’re 32 and hanging on a wall at midnight on Tuesday, maybe you should be questioned. Make them cops earn their money instead of making them get off of their butts after something happens. Only we have that mentality of hanging out front. Go in your backyard so everybody else doesn’t have to see you getting drunk. Why do we always have to congregate in public view? Do you ever see a bunch of doctors hanging on a wall? No! Neither should you. Grow up and break the tradition or get harrassed. Cops on my corner or riding through is a frequent as seeing birds. And guess what? Little or no crime.
Your d@mned if you do and d@mned if you don’t!
This goes out to OK. I don’t think Boss Lady meant that cops tolerate violence in black areas but maybe don’t do all they can do. In the 80′s in East Orange we had a Task Force. They would get on their loudspeakers and shoe the guys off the corners and loitering in front of buildings. If you were in a group and looked like you were up to no good they were patting you down and checking I.D.s. It seemed like harrassment to us who were just hanging out but looking back the tactic cleaned up a lot. Cops need to be proactive. Go to that wall everyday until they stop hanging there. Do you think you’ll see a bunch of kids hanging on a graffiti filled wall in T Town drinking and smoking?
As a random visitor meaning I drop in when I feel like it to visit friends and family, I have never seen an armed cop in Bermuda and yes I go to those so called bad areas. In fact I rarely see cops out of their moving cars. I usually see them on their way somewhere in no particular hurry. It seems like more often than not a shooting takes place when I’m visiting and I have yet to see the police step it up island wide right after the incident. I’m not saying they aren’t there. I’m saying I don’t see them. As for black Bermudians forming any type of group to combat evil doers like Loyal Hill did the other day, it’s not going to happen. People will continue to die and the survivors will cry and complain and then go back to living with the same thugs because they’re too scared. Blacks don’t believe in snitching and the crimes continue. Easier said than done. I know but when it happens to you and yours you’ll be wishing somebody snitched. Let’s clean up our neighborhoods. I don’t hesitate to make the call when I see something going on. I watch out for my neighborhood and I have gone outside with my fists balled up when I thought a neighbor was in danger from outsiders. That’s what all you crime expert Bermudians need to do. Start fighting. Stop dissing each other on Bernews and go tell the thugs how wrong they are. Go on punks! I dare you!
WELL SAID, LINEAGE!