The Tribune

A MAN wearing an electronic ankle bracelet and another man attempting to leave his home in Little Blair were both gunned down within 15 minutes of each other yesterday.

The first death came at 12.35am when a man on Apache Alley in the Kemp Road area was approached by two men who opened fire.

As he attempted to run off, he was shot repeatedly in the face, chest and leg before he died at the scene.

While police have not confirmed his identity, The Big T understands he is 28-year-old Jamal Bastian, whose movements were being monitored by police via his electronic ankle bracelet.

Police say he was out on bail and the attack may have been connected to a feud which began while he was in prison.

Fifteen minutes later, in a separate shooting, residents in the Little Blair area were awoken by the sounds of loud gunshots and screams.

Neighbours said they heard one loud shot which sounded like a firework going off and then scuffling and arguing before a second shot rang out. They then heard what they thought were the gunmen running down the street where they presumed they had parked a getaway car.

One neighbour said she went into the victim’s home and saw him lying on the floor with a gunshot wound to his chest. She said that one of her immediate concerns was the whereabouts and safety of the two young adults who lived there.

According to police, the victim and a female companion were leaving the residence when they were approached by three men who forced them back into the home where they searched the property, but found nothing.

The men had come from a ‘silver type vehicle,’ said police.

As they were fleeing the home, one of the men fired a shot into the victim’s chest. He was taken to hospital via ambulance, but was pronounced dead on arrival. The female companion is assisting police with their investigation.

The Big T understands the victim is 45-year-old Hillary Alexander Cargill of Coral Place, Little Blair.

Due to the nature of the crime and other circumstances, some residents believed it may have been a “targeted hit”.

Members of the Little Blair community said Mr Cargill had moved into the area from Bimini a few months ago, that he had two teenage children living with him, who prior to the shooting had apparently told neighbours that they were not allowed to communicate with them.

“They kept to themselves,” one resident said.

Other members of the community fear that this was yet another home invasion in a close-knit community which has been hit by crime in recent months.

“If we had cameras we could have identified the shooters as they were running down the street,” one resident said.

The shootings bring the country’s murder count to 19. Police are actively investigating both deaths.

They are appealing to members of the public who may have any information to contact them at 911 or 919, the Central Detective Unit at 502-9991 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 328-TIPS.