While some residents in the Bain Town community were still trying to come to terms with a drive-by shooting which ended the life of 23-year-old Hosea Lightbourne on Saturday, the man accused of his murder was formally charged in a magistrate court on Thursday.
Tavari Dorsette, 28, a resident of Lysander Road in Stapledon Gardens, appeared before Magistrate Marilyn Meeres and was charged with murder.
Police said Lightbourne was shot multiple times in broad daylight while walking in the area of Rupert Dean Lane, where his mother resides.
Lightbourne died at the scene.
Some residents reported that the killing was sparked by an earlier incident at a party in Stapledon Gardens more than a week ago during which time Dorsette was wounded.
While being led to court, Dorsette walked with his head hung low and appeared to be teary eyed.
He was not required to enter a plea; neither was he offered bail. Magistrate Meeres set a preliminary inquiry date for December 7.
Attorney Ramona Farqharson represented Dorsette in court and requested that her client see a doctor while incarcerated, saying he was suffering from some discomfort.
According to Ms. Farqharson, her clientﾒs mouth was wired shut after he was shot in his mouth during the party in Stapledon Gardens.
She also told the magistrate her client was oppressed at the Central Detective Unit while he was being interviewed, and she charged that his constitutional rights had been violated because he was not able to speak during the process.
Ms. Farqharson also requested that her client be isolated once taken to prison because she claimed that threats were made against him.
Magistrate Meeres took note of the requests. However, she said it would still be up to the prison officials to follow through.
Meanwhile, the Bain and Grants Town Clergy Association, which is headed by religious leaders in that community, called for peace to prevail in the area.
Pastor of Mt. Olive Baptist Church, Rev. C.B. Moss, told reporters at a press conference on Thursday that while media reports speculate that there is a war of vengeance going on between residents in Bain Town, he has been assured that no organized retaliation would take place in the Bain Town area.
“I can say with assurance because I was assured by the deceasedﾒs brother 45 minutes ago that there will be no retaliation on behalf of his brother. He said that the family is hurting and they would allow the law to do the retaliation,” Rev. Moss said.
“This is a small community and everyone knows everyone else and so they are saddened and they would like just to get over it and above all they are committed to peace. The mother of the guy who was killed is a stalwart Christian and they understand how to deal with tragedies like this.”
The clergy association intends to hold a healing and reconciliation service on Sunday at 4pm near the spot where Lightbourne was killed.
The prayer and healing service will encourage healing among family members and members of the community, the clergymen said.
The association also intends to hold a domestic violence seminar on September 11 at the Charles Thompson Memorial Youth Centre.
Rev. Moss said the seminar is timely because many lives are being ended as a result of domestic disputes.
“As you were aware there were several incidents recently that resulted in death as a result of violence between loved ones, and so we feel that this seminar is very timely and very important to assist people in understanding the importance of conflict resolution and peacefully addressing discrepancies that may arise in the family,” Rev. Moss said.
By: Bianca Symonette, The Bahama Journal
