Branville McCartney and his brother Kurt, who was shot dead on Thursday night.
KURT McCartney, the brother of DNA Leader Branville McCartney, was shot and killed, with his own vehicle used to run over his body, in what his family believes was a premeditated murder.
According to family members, Kurt had received a phone call earlier that night from a young woman who had allegedly threatened to kill him. He was said to have informed a close friend that he was going to “deal” with the matter and left to visit the girl in Gambier.
When he arrived at the home, it is believed that he was assaulted by a male who was described as a “Rasta”.
Kurt was then shot in the head.
It is believed that the young woman, with a female companion sped off in Kurt’s vehicle – running over his body. At press time last night, an image of his bloodied body was already making the rounds on Facebook.
Kurt’s brother Branville was visibly moved at the scene last night. He was seated in the backseat of a police jeep overcome with grief.
Kurt’s vehicle was found almost 200 yards East of the scene – at the corner of Bahamia West — abandoned on the side of the road.
According to a neighbour at that location, security footage showed that the two young women got out of the vehicle, walked along the beach, and were picked up by another car some distance up the road.
Speaking to members of the media at the scene last night, Dr David Allen said that Kurt was a beautiful, brilliant young man with tremendous talent.
“If this could happen to Kurt, it could happen to me, it could happen to you. We can’t build a country if we continue to kill our brightest and our best. It is painful,” he said.
Kurt is the second son of Mr and Mrs William McCartney. His father owns the chain of Wilmac Pharmacies. Kurt managed the pharmacy on Thompson Boulevard. He is survived by his parents, his brother, Branville, and two sisters.
Comments
MasterSeer_LJG 11 years ago
God keep them in perfect peace despite off. It's not easy loosing a love one.
Philosopher_King 11 years ago
RIP Kurt my friend and may God bring some comfort to your family. If this don't drive some real community wide action to develop workable solutions to crime nothing will..
B_I_D___ 11 years ago
Government will shrug it off...he was obviously a green shirt and against the PLP, so they won't pay it any attention. My thoughts go out to McCartney's...horrible tragedy.
Philosopher_King 11 years ago
Notice I said community not government, F a government they too busy selling us out and keeping us down to check for the state of the average citizen and nation as a whole.
JohnDoe 11 years ago
But why should any one murder be more meaningful than the almost 90 that preceded this one? They were all someone's friend, father, son, daughter etc. and each one of them diminishes our whole society.
EddyC 11 years ago
It's not about it being more important, it's the fact that this murder specifically will probably have a bigger impact on the community as a whole because it affects more than just one family, it affects a whole political party and the followers of that party. Every human life is equal but every human death has a different impact. Maybe this particular one will help solve the Bahamas' problems with crime... in my opinion there is no way in moving forward if the Bahamian people keep gunning down the people that are the closest to making a change in this society.
JohnDoe 11 years ago
Are you kidding me! We are all members of a much more important party called the Bahamian Society and we should spend more of our energies uplifting that party. Until we stop dividing ourselves into small little insignificant fiefdoms called political parties and following men who are themselves blind we will continue to be caught in our vicious cycle of not so quiet desperation. Societal change is the responsibility of every member of the society and our deeply flawed leaders are not even role models in their own homes much less society.
ThisIsOurs 11 years ago
No he is not kidding you, he is correct. A man who has 5000 people at his funeral has probably affected more lives than a man who has 20 at his. It does not mean that either life was more important, or more meaningful, than the other, it's just a clear manifestation of range of impact.
JohnDoe 11 years ago
If we judge impact by the number of persons at the funeral or gravesite then we would be compelled to surmise that the life and death of Jesus Christ was not impactful. But therein lies our real issue!
John 11 years ago
What did Nero do while Rome burned? amen
The_Oracle 11 years ago
Prayers and thoughts for the family, and every family who has lost through our willingness to kill. Our society does not foster Respect, Our Prime Ministers must demand it with outriders and speed through traffic. Yes, Nero fiddles, Marie Antoinette with "let them eat cake", when hearing the French people were starving, But are we ready for the Police state? This is the only thing which will correct and reverse the trend, and many innocent will get beaten, maimed, and killed in the name of the Bahamas. How honorable is that? That a Bahamian killed, or the Bahamas killed, does the difference concern the victim? An ounce of Prevention is worth a pound of cure, the cost will be heavy on us all.
Emac 11 years ago
“The cost will be heavy on all of us”. Not necessarily. Simply ENFORCE the law and people will fall inline. Those who blatantly disobey the law will suffer the consequences. Those citizens who respect others and follow the law should not have to suffer for the few spoil apples. I mean this approach is elementary. But both FNM and PLP keep pussyfooting around with this issue. As a result everyone suffers.
briwest1773 11 years ago
We need to start hanging murderers....these men are most likely known to police and are out on bail. The police are doing all they can. We need to now call on the law makers and judges to hand down stiffer punishments and stop letting people out on bail! This is ridiculous and the court system is to blame! We built a brand new sports centre.....what we needed was a brand new, bigger, better prison!!
B_I_D___ 11 years ago
I'm hearing that the new sports centre is already falling into disrepair and the market that was apparently there for hosting foreign teams and events is now turning away due to lack of maintenance. The government simply does not care or have a clue!!
bismark 11 years ago
you are absoloutely right,i wouldn't be surprised if the scum isn't known to police,no bail for murders,i don't care stack they ass in a cell twenty a time,if they wanted to be treated humane don't do no crime,we don't need no new prison,we need a dungeon,send those lowlifes away,as for people like ducille,he will one day feel what many people felt when their loved ones were killed and he got them off,but we need that capital punishment!!!
lazybor 11 years ago
100% agree!
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ThisIsOurs 11 years ago
Need a better prison yes, but what we really need is to give 6,7,8,9,10 yr olds vision of a future, hope of a future and tools for a future so they don't end up in prison
John 11 years ago
How about having parenting school for some of these jungulist mothers? They need to learn that Clarks and play station and land belt and samsung galaxy doesn't necessarily mean good children
john33xyz 11 years ago
Now you really trying to get into trouble. These are the "mothers" that give most of the money to the churches. The Christian Council will not like you messing with them.
banker 11 years ago
Co-sign. This is the truth.
ThisIsOurs 11 years ago
They will learn that lesson when govt ministers and church ministers stop stealing so they can drive BMs and live in million dollar homes
Bahamian=materialistic. Why should they be the only segment of society immune to the condition?
bahamiandud3242 11 years ago
lol nice one man.
TalRussell 11 years ago
Hundreds of family members have been murdered in we Bahamaland with few families receiving a personal visit from a sitt'in Prime Minister. Hundreds murdered have gone all but unnoticed by our politicians. Seldom do floods of senior policeman's appear at the murder scenes. Comrades any killing is disturbing to say the least. and of course our prayers are with Comrade Kurt's well known and highly respected Bahamaland family. Lets not be in such a hurry to call for the dreaded Hangman to be reinstated up at Her majesty's Fox Hill Prison, for across the board hangings. Over the coming days we will learn more about whom and what brought this senseless murder about.
John 11 years ago
SHOCKING REVELATIONS A gun can show up in the Bahamas within a week of being manufactured then purchased in the UNITED STATES. MOST guns confiscated in the Bahamas, by police, are made in the USA. SOME Guns used in the Bahamas were manufactured just weeks prior to the crime being committed. These are facts revealed by Senator Keith Bell recently. With a trail that hot from the manufactures to the seller and the trafficker to the criminal in the Bahamas, it should not be hard to find out who is importing (smuggling ) guns into the country. Also with a distribution channel so efficient to get guns here in the matter of a week after it is made in the US, these persons must have good cash, have good connections higher up or both.
JohnDoes 11 years ago
Yall better wake up and smell this coffee. You cannot blame the U.S or the Gun Manufacturers. Keith Bell cannot assure you that the guns found here are manufactured just weeks before. That is a fact and if it is so, when they run the serial numbers, that one gun that is found to be manufactured weeks before is probably 1 out of every 100+ guns found. You have to realize in a country where guns are legal to licensed owners, they of course will not own just 1 gun. A rightful gun owner can have as much guns as they want depending on the specifics of the different state laws. This gun hoarding/collecting eventually leads to sales to other licensed owners or those that have the money to buy, and those that have the money to buy are actually buying at their own risk unless they are legal U.S citizens. Guns are sold to many non licensed owners and that is legal. Once you are a citizen and you are of age, you are able to own a gun, this is probably the only specific that may stop a responsible gun owner from selling, but we are living in a world where 'money' is the motive and sometimes gun owners are not responsible enough to take that precaution and sell the gun anyway just for quick money without verifying if the one that is buying is actually able to own a firearm. A gun license or Concealed Carry Permit is what you need in order to carry the gun on you, once it is concealed. Those citizens that do not have a conceal carry permit are allowed to own guns but are not allowed to carry them concealed on their person, rather 'locked' in the glove box unloaded with ammunition and magazines in the back trunk if travelling via vehicle. The fact is, each gun bought is not always registered and depending on the state once you have a gun license or of the age to own, and you are a citizen, you have a right to buy/own any gun that is legal to own without declaring how many guns you already have. Bahamians tend to go to the states, visit gun shows and exhibits, or have friends already there that own guns or know persons that do, who are willing to make a quick buck. They are then obviously able to buy the gun at their own risk. As for the smuggling, you have to blame the system, not the U.S or it manufacturers.
John 11 years ago
Sounds like bull crap to me. Did you really read what you posted?why would Keith Bell lie about the intelligence the police has? Stop trying to discredit people with a bag of hot air. Hopefully they will get to the bottom of this gun smuggling ring and make people like you, who post garbage, eat your words.
JohnDoes 11 years ago
Did you comprehend what I posted? It doesn't sound like. No one is discrediting anyone. Many lie to cover up the real facts to so call 'protect our integrity' as a nation. Clear your nostrils, the coffee was brewing wayy before this gun problem got out of hand. If you are gullable enough to believe this fabricated information that these weapons are coming straight from the manufacturers a week from production then you sir are oblivious to the weapons trade and its gritty truth. If it was not hard to find these smugglers, why is the problem rapidly growing in our society? Dont take it personal, there is no need for an insult. The TRUTH hurts.
John 11 years ago
There s nothing to comprehend in what you posted. I is all rhethoric and garbage like most on the other venom you have posted here under different names. Now you are trying to create more confusion, by pposting under your various versions of "John". I told you more than once, ":whitey" is not a term used by natural Bahamians, Black or White. It is the foreign, non Bahamians that come here and try to belittle and degrade Bahamians. If the Bahamas is so much worse than where you came from, what is taking you so long to go back?
concernedcitizen 11 years ago
@John Dude you need medication ...once again the U/S has a homocide rate of 4 per 100,000 ,the Bahamas is running at 26 per 100,000 ..Who are you to question anyones nationality ..As a Bahamian i have a right to have an opinion about issues in my country just like a tourist has a right to have an opinion about ,crime ,service ,price to decide if they want to return ...Is that your coup de grace ,anyone you disagree w/ you call a non Bahamian and tell them to leave ,,,actually you are predictable ,in your xenophopia , your skewed opinions and your pumped up bravado w/ your "i is Bahamian " and everything wrong here is another countries doing .You would be surprised to know how many weapons come from the south ,Jamaica ,Columbia w/ the drug trade .K Bell did exactly what he intended w/ you ,take the responsibility and failure in crime away from us and give the under educated the "strawman " to rail at the 'wicked U/S "
John 11 years ago
We know you and your many pseudonyms. Your purpose here is to tell lies and create confusion. Satan is the prince of lies and the author of confusion. You try to confuse people by telling lies and trying to advance your racists ways at the expense of others. The person with responsibility for the police force says that most of the guns that they have confiscated were manufactured in the United States and sold in the United States. If you have information to the contrary and you are a concerned citizen, then you should forward your information to the police. Again I say it is some of your foreigners that come here with hidden agendas and try to sow discontent among Bahamians while you commit white collar crime. What is your crime anyway? Are you selling fake medication?
concernedcitizen 11 years ago
@John ,yeah bro its a great big conspiracy .lmao..K Bell got paid back by the PLP for selling his integrity .Remember the housing scandal in the PLP,S 2002 to 2007 term .It was his investigation that found nothing .Geez my Dad even had a foreign contractor come ask him for advise ..The minister of housing at the time offered him a contract w/ a Bahamian to build 100 homes if he would "kick back" 7000, for each home .My pop told him first its illegal and second they will use you ,stiff you and hang you out to dry..Four people have been arrested for killing this man , their intent was to kill ,gun ,knife or brick ,however you can keep falling for that "man of integrity " lol K Bells slick political talk in finding some where to shift the blame ... "
ThisIsOurs 11 years ago
Stop blaming someone else for our problem. Guns are a problem and they certainly make killing a person easier if the intent is to kill a person. A young man just stabbed his grandmother to death a few days ago. There's something bigger than weapon of choice going on in Bahamian society. The heart of the Bahamian is seriously corrupted, it is intent on murder, and it will find a way to accomplish it, gun knife rock bottle tyre iron.
Police obfuscate all the time, they are in the palms of the politicians again
larry 11 years ago
so how easy it is to smuggle illegal weapons out of the U.S.A. but when these weapons are used on their citizens they put advisories against us. Why should we beg for their help when they allow the guns to leave their country to kill us off
banker 11 years ago
Maybe because our citizens shoot their citizens? Let me get this straight. A 20 year old Bahamian punk with no socialisation and empathy, kills someone in cold blood, and it is the fault of the US? If someone deliberately runs over someone else in a car, is General Motors or Toyota (or Japan) responsible?
NaughtyJohnny 11 years ago
John 11 years ago
Check history and find out how back in the1970's and 80's use to wake up and find train cars loaded with high power weapons and ammunition in their back yards, on playgrounds and other public places. A clear invitation for black people to go kill each other. WonT be surprised if the same thing is happening here and in the rest if the Caribbean. A leopard doesn't change its spots.
ThisIsOurs 11 years ago
@John if you found a high powered rifle in your backyard would you pick it up and start killing people? I seriously doubt it. Your heart would have to be intent on killing first. It is not the gun that is the problem, the gun simply makes it easier to kill
I say yes, let's make it harder for people to kill people but let's realize we have a problem in our society that we cannot blame on anyone but ourselves . Our morals are completely out the window, our core is black, anything we want we believe we should have no matter how much it costs, who we have to trample to get it or whether we've actually worked for it.
John 11 years ago
If your house is flooding, then the first (sensible) thing you do is try to find the source of the flooding and stop it. Our country (BaHaMaS) is being flooded with weapons, many high powered weapons at that, so now the police are trying to find the source and cut it off and the persons responsible and bring them to justice. Further, of the 80 persons or so in prison for murder, and I stand to be corrected, 80% of them and under 25, most of them are 18,19 and 20 year olds and one or two may be as young as 13 or 14. Yes there has been a fascination of guns by young people, not only in the Bahamas, but in most of the western world. Once a person has a gun in his possession, the next fantasy is to use it. So maybe there is a strong need for the police or some other agency to the junior and senior high schools and teach the kids the dangers or firearms. Then also to educate parents, single mothers, especially single mothers, about the possible consequences of their children having weapons. Many times a parent may find out their teenager has a gun and the first thing they do is go into denial. They say something like, "he mussy know wha he getting he sef into". But unfortunately the young man does not know what he is getting into and before he or the parent knows it, he is on the front page of the newspaper, charged with murder. Since you disagree with what the police are doing or feel they are giving out misinformation, what is your plan for the police to tackle this matter except lock up every young, Black Bahamian in the country?
ThisIsOurs 11 years ago
Your argument is full of false assumptions. There are many people who hold guns for many reasons, not all of them are bent on killing people. It is the heart of a person that is the problem. as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he
My plan? I've suggested it many times. 1. Give young boys a vision of an achievable dream and reinforce it straight through adulthood. The vehicle is education. Obama made a profound statement yesterday, if you think education is expensive, try ignorance. ignorance has cost us 88 lives this year. 2. Build prisons geared towards reform not to housing animals 3. Improve the quality of our public prosecutors 4. Improve the investigative techniques of the police force 5. Elect better representatives, not these bunch of thieves intent on enriching themselves while the country goes down the toilet
John 11 years ago
Politicians usually reflect the broader society and you can only elect representatives form those who offer as candidates. Because of the dirty nature of politics including the witch hunting, the name calling and the mudslinging, those who may be of a better quality will not indulge in politics. And yes the junior minister for national security says plans are underway to upgrade the police force and bring in new recruits, but again this is dependent on who are willing to join the force and become policemen. No one denies that the prison here in the Bahamas is out-of-date and obsolete, but like everything one has to work within constraints, financial, manpower, time and so prison reform is underway. Yes education is more valuable than ignorance, but yet we have educated fools. So Education must come with a purpose, and young men, black men especially have been going through the challenges. Many just need a sense of direction and a sense of purpose. Not everyone wants to be book smart and sit behind a desk. Only recently has society wanted to throw away the below "C' achievers and raise the bar where a college education is now required for simple employment. It is just another way of telling some people they don't fit in.
ThisIsOurs 11 years ago
I didn't say increase the police force I said improve the quality of policemen. I didn't say build a bigger prison I said change the strategy from housing to reform. I didn't say throw a book at young men, I said give them a vision of where they can go how education can help them achieve it and reinforce it straight through adulthood
ThisIsOurs 11 years ago
I want a t-shirt
banker 11 years ago
@John .. are you making up facts again? Really, you gotta get acquainted with the literal truth.
John 11 years ago
Which facts are you questioning? Then I can reveal my sources. What other facts did I make up in the past? Then i will also reveal the plain truth. Because you say it is a lie doesn't make it a lie.
John 11 years ago
Still waiting on you to tell me what I made up..and I ain;t holding my breath!
John 11 years ago
JOHN DOE must have missed maths class. A lot of 'em because whatever he is tryin to say surely ainn adding up.
JohnDoes 11 years ago
Thats because you sir are oblivious to what is really going on in our World and Society. Only a fool would believe that these guns are fresh from the factory and on our soil within week/s. That is just not plausible, I made an educated guess based on what is possible, there is no Lord of War here, just a bunch of loop holes in our society and persons taking advantage of it, as is with any other society. We are not the only ones with this problem. Crime itself continues to evolve.
John 11 years ago
people kill people with guns!
John 11 years ago
I don't know who manufactures or sells guns in the United States, but since you say they are all white, I take your word for it.
JohnDoes 11 years ago
Thanks very much. Lol It seems that 'John' got offended by my correction of his misinformation. The first thing I said is, 'Wake up and smell the coffee'. His nose must be stuffy & he needs to get out more.
John 11 years ago
Maybe if you stop posting under different names you would be more credible.. Or maybe you do have split personalities. Or maybe you just love to play with yourself!
JohnDoe 11 years ago
For the record @John, JohnDoe is in no way affiliated with JohnDoes. I am equally baffled by his post.
JohnDoe 11 years ago
Baffle is probably not the word I would use for John. God bless him though!
HarryBlack 11 years ago
The main point of the article is that someone, a Bahamian lost his life via murder, and rather than staying focused on offering condolences to his family, you all are insulting each other and pointing fingers! THIS SPEAKS TO THE ROOT OF OUR PROBLEM WITH CRIME. It seems that some Bahamians have lost all sense of humanity, and that a strong effort to sensitize Bahamians is what really needs to happen for real change to be seen.
My heart goes out to the McCartney family. I can only imagine the extent of their sorrow. May the Almighty God give them peace, love, strength and hope for a brighter day.
May God help us all!
banker 11 years ago
You are right. Bahamians in general have lost a large part of their empathy and humanity in the past 40 years. It was said that in the 1970's, Bahamians were the friendliest island people. Now they are surly and uncaring about everything. Winds of change have blown through.
ThisIsOurs 11 years ago
I don't know Kurt McCartney, never heard of him until yesterday. But I can sympathize with a family feeling pain of losing a cherished member. At the same time I can say what is going on in the country that I love? I can realize that it's something deeper than a choice of weapon and it's spreading. I can realize that if our solution is taking a gun away from a 16yr old we have lost the battle before we even began. We need to get those boys at 5yrs old and we need to hold them until they are 16. That is the approach get them young and keep them. The street knows how to do it, its been doing it successfully for the last 30 years. We need to learn something from our enemy.
concernedcitizen 11 years ago
Good post ,also the fathers need to be involved . On the family island i live half of the courts time is absentee fathers for child support .It has almost b/c like welfare in the U/S THAT promotes absentee dads .Here the women has multiply children for different daddys and chases them through the court for a meager income ..
John 11 years ago
And their slave masters taught them how to do that. Slavery destroyed the Black family here and in Africa. And if you want more shock go research what part the cathlocic church played in Trans Atlantic slavery. Find out the real motive behind their actions
concernedcitizen 11 years ago
How come fifty years ago it wasn,t like this if it was taught from slavery ..At what point do we take personal responsibility ..You want to read something shocking ,read about how Pigmies are killed ,enslaved and even eaten ..yes even today .IT was this way before slavery/ colonialization and goes on today ..
John 11 years ago
So you do not see white dead beat dads being tracked down in the US and hauled before the courts to pay child support? And many of them are highly paid and influential people. Do not be color blind now.
concernedcitizen 11 years ago
@john of course there are dead beat white dads in the states,but we are Bahamians talking about the Bahamas ,,idiot and i don,t use that word lightly ,but i feel you have worked tirelessly to obtain it ..
UserOne 11 years ago
There are white dead beat dads here in The Bahamas too.
concernedcitizen 11 years ago
yes there are
John 11 years ago
obviously you have issues.. but WHY do you begrudge Black Bahamians so much? If you was half the idiot I am you would have common sense, but of course you are consumed by racial venom.
ThisIsOurs 11 years ago
I don't think concernedcitizen begrudges black Bahamians I've read his posts for some time. The main issue he has is with indiscriminate reproduction. I also get the impression he doesn't suffer fools lightly.
John 11 years ago
The, last time I attended a funeral for a young man who had been shot, the preacher said, he did not come to preach to the young man who was laid out in the coffin dead, but his message was for those who were still alive and remain. He could do nothing to help the one who has passed, but his message may help save the life of someone in the hearing of his voice.
leeza 11 years ago
Are there any men here who have not fathered children if yes is the answer this is not for you.Now to all the other men who have fathered children, are you playing an active role in the rearing of your offspring if yes then kuddoes if not then shut up. Everyone knows the problems and where they exist but what are we doing to help, running on with each other and baffling us with your brilliance really is not helping lets stop talking, men, and get involved to contribute to the turning around of our little piece n planet earth.
John 11 years ago
I agree and it is simple things like going in a store and having a young boy pack your grocery and bring it to your car. Then you turn around and give him chump change (less than a dollar) and then say young people do not want to work. And as a father one should not only be playing a role in the rearing of his own children but help out, when possible, with others.
John 11 years ago
Well we can pack our own groceries too, or even pump our own gas, But we know the young man with the grocery cart is hoping to make money for his school lunch, and the guy at the pump may also want a dollar for cleaning your windshield, but more importantly, he is there because our forward thinking government feels that there is no need to automate service stations at this time, when there is high unemployment. hen in the us we do pump our own gas, like most Bahamians and everyone else, and so it is not a matter of being lazy. So if you multiply the number of service stations by the number of employees you see for a small country that is significant employment. If a hotel has a porter and I have more than one bag, then I use his service, especially if he is white. Then I tip him chump change.
ThisIsOurs 11 years ago
What?
concernedcitizen 11 years ago
2JOHN ,good Lord ,did you really type that last sentence .I F anyone serves me ,black ,white ,purple and the service is good i tip very well .I have been a bread boy ,waiter ,bartender , bellmen and i know how it is . I now deal w/ tourist as a boat captain and when i do get tipped and do well i make sure the mate was tipped or split w/ him and give something to the guy who maintains the boats .I WOULD hope i am tipped on my service ,additude and knowledge ,not color of skin .I find it hard to believe you have brought tipping to a racial issue ..geez dude your out there ..
4renbahamian 11 years ago
I now have proof as Bahamians we are easily distracted, the positings started out with the lost of a well known bahamian family son then bad parents, Christianity, child support, maths, bleaming America, skin color, tipping etc and I missed a few because I could not take the petty posts no more. Lord what a country we now live in, please show this so call Christian country that there deeds are evil.
bahamiandud3242 11 years ago
A woman was the instigator of this crime, the Bahamian women are becoming as corrupt as the men, maybe even more. The Bahamas is finished, especially Nassau.
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