The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Staff

Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

A FIGHT between two men escalated into a fatal stabbing that left one man dead and another in serious condition in hospital yesterday.

The death of Elkin Moss – along with the fatal shooting of a business man and his employee – pushed the country’s murder count to 61 this weekend.

Three weekend murders and six armed robberies follow in the wake of last week’s announcement by Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade that major crime is down three per cent.

In Saturday’s double murder, the proprietor of the Tip Top bar and his employee were gunned down as they tried to flee two gunmen sometime after 4am. Although the police have not confirmed their identities, condolences on Facebook are being sent to the family of Ernest Cartwright, owner of the Tip Top bar, and his employee, Sean Daxson.

Supt Paul Rolle, head of the Criminal Detective Unit, said the victims had just closed the Wulff Road bar and were headed to the proprietor’s blue Kia Optima when they were approached by two armed men.

Both men got into the car in an effort to escape, however, the proprietor was shot and killed in the driver’s seat.

According to Mr Rolle, the employee left the car and ran onto Collins Avenue, but was also gunned down.

At a press conference later that day, officials warned business owners and private citizens to stay vigilant while conducting monetary business transactions.

Mr Rolle said police suspect that robbery was the motive; however, it is unclear at this time how much money was taken from the victims.

Inspector Chrislyn Skippings urged potential victims of armed robbery not to resist when confronted, and to fully comply with demands while paying close attention to the culprit’s appearance and direction of escape.

Yesterday, Mr Moss’ death shook area residents, who say the incident upset their quiet community.

One area resident said: “What I experienced (yesterday) was shocking because around here is very quiet. Nothing like this has ever happened before.”

She added: “It makes you wonder what our nation is coming to. The people in the area are shocked because it’s a quiet area. This is an eye opener for us.”

The deceased, a Carmichael resident in his 30s, was at his home on Jackfish Drive when he got into a fight with a 52-year-old Coral Harbour man around 4:30am.

As a result, each man was stabbed several times and Mr Moss was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to Mr Rolle, the 52-year-old Allen Drive suspect was discovered in a private vehicle on McKinney Drive after he had collided with two other cars. The suspect was arrested and taken to hospital, where he is reportedly under police guard and in serious condition.

Mr Moss is said to have lived at the Jackfish Drive residence with another man.

Last night, Mr Rolle did not confirm speculation that a third person might have been present during the fight. However, he said, detectives were also investigating that report.

Anyone with information that might assist investigations is asked to contact police at 911 or 919, the Central Detective Unit at 502-9991 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 328-TIPS.

At the press conference last week, Mr Greenslade admitted that the rate of minor crimes continues to escalate despite the decrease in major crime across the Bahamas.

Minor crimes were said to include domestic disputes, loud noise reports, vagrants, littering, illegal dumping, assaults, and causing harm of the “simple variety.” According to Mr Greenslade causing harm also includes stabbing cases.