The Tribune

BAHAMIAN track star Stephen Newbold has denied firing a gun in a late-night shooting incident in the United States.

He is also expected to compete in the upcoming CARIFTA Games, and, according to Team Bahamas manager Doris Wood last night was “on his way home.”

Newbold’s lawyer, Josh Zelman, spoke at the weekend about his client. According to WCTV, the attorney claimed Newbold was innocent, that police never found a gun and that police did not test Stephen Newbold for gun residue to see if he fired one.

Yesterday, CARIFTA Team Bahamas manager Doris Wood said: “We understand that Stephen is on his way home. We are just waiting for him to arrive.”

Earlier in the day, Bahamas Amateur Athletic Association (BAAA) President Mike Sands said he saw no reason why Newbold, the Bahamas’ top junior quarter miler, should not take part in CARIFTA, if he was allowed to travel.

“We expect him to and we look forward to his participation on the team. I understand that bail has been set, his participation will be based on the conditions of that bail – ie if he was allowed to travel outside of the jurisdiction and he presents himself at home, then the question of him participating in the CARIFTA team does not arise. He has been selected and is duly qualified and we look forward to his participation.”

Newbold, 18, and Ronell Mance, who are both Florida State University athletes, were arrested on Thursday after an officer responded to a 911 call about two gunshots having been fired near the pool of the Campus Walk Apartment complex in Tallahassee.

Newbold was charged with resisting arrest without violence and discharging a firearm in public. He was released on Friday after posting a $1,000 bond. He has a case management hearing in April.

Mance, who turned 21 on Thursday, was charged with being in possession of a forged identification card and resisting arrest without violence.

Newbold’s lawyer, Mr Zelman, told the Orlando Sentinel newspaper on Saturday that he and his client believe the police made “incorrect assumptions” at the time of Newbold’s arrest.

“He denies discharging a firearm, no firearm was found, and police did not even attempt to conduct any forensic testing to determine whether he discharged a firearm,” said Mr Zelman.

On Friday, Mance’s attorneys, Don Pumphrey Jr. and Nathan Prince, told the Sentinel they were questioning the police’s claims and were going to fight their client’s charges.

According to the probable cause report, a police officer was flagged down at 3:36am on March 21 and was told that two gunshots were heard in the area of Campus Walk Apartments.

He was walking to the pool area when five men came around the corner walking away from the pool. He pointed his gun at them and told them to put up their hands, says the report.

Another police officer came to help, and when the first officer asked the second to begin patting the men down to see who had a gun, “one male, later identified as Stephen Newbold, fled the scene. ‘Newbold was located by a k-9 track,’” the report says.

It goes on to quote a witness, who told police she was inside her apartment when she heard two gunshots.

“She was scared but looked out of her window and saw a male, later identified as Stephen Newbold, shoot a hand gun two more times in the direction of the pool,” says the report.

Both athletes have been indefinitely suspended from athletic activity at FSU.

Newbold is a five-time CARIFTA Games medalist. He is also the CARIFTA record holder in the under-17 boys’ 400m hurdles.