An otherwise quiet weekend turned violent in the early hours of yesterday with the country’s 43rd murder for the year.
A man, a resident of southern New Providence believed to be in his early 30s, died on the streets of Pinewood Gardens as the result of a stabbing over the weekend.
Police yesterday expressed extreme disappointment that a weekend which had been mostly crime-free, had to once again end with a homicide.
“We had a very quiet, pleasant weekend, no crime. Then this happened, another murder. It is very disappointing,” press liaison officer Inspector Walter Evans told The Tribune yesterday.
According to reports, the victim was one of group of men arguing while standing by the roadside on Bamboo Boulevard in the Pinewood Gardens area at around midnight on Saturday.
“The argument escalated and the situation got out of control. As a result, this man was stabbed,” Mr Evans said.
The man then “stumbled” into his vehicle, which was parked nearby, and started heading east on Bamboo Boulevard.
However, he drove only about a block before he stopped the car, got out and – according to eyewitnesses – collapsed on the street.
“That is how he was found, lying in the road in a lifeless state,” Mr Evans said.
Investigations are continuing and police hope to soon be able to determine a motive for the murder and name a suspect.
With the number of murders reaching 43 for the year so far, the country’s homicide rate has now almost doubled compared to this time last year – when the number of murders was still in the mid-20s.
Mr Evans yesterday again appealed to the Bahamian public to find non-violent methods to resolve their disagreements.
“We would like to see more reasoning, more restraint. Obviously some people have still riot learned how to properly solve their problems ,” he said.
Mr Evans said that police are appealing to people, “and especially young men”, to exercise restraint during the remaining days of 2006.
By KARIN HERIG Tribune Staff Reporter
