The Tribune

By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

INVESTIGATORS will know by Friday whether any relatives of the 11-year-old boy who was shot dead over the weekend will face charges, Chief Superintendant Clayton Fernander said yesterday.

Chief Supt Fernander told The Tribune that police are still trying to “connect the dots” in the case.

However, he said, a recommendation to move the case to the Attorney General’s Office for prosecution or to the Coroner’s Court should come by the end of the week.

The boy, Craig Newton, was shot and killed in Andros early Saturday morning, as he and his 9-year-old cousin were playing with a shotgun.

Police said the victim was at his cousin’s home at the time of the shooting.

Chief Supt Fernander said police are not charging the juvenile with anything, but they are looking into whether any adult will be charged with neglect.

Initial reports indicated that the children were home alone at the time of the incident.

“We are in the final stages of our investigations and we are dealing with this matter as we speak. We will know in a few days what the next move will be,” he said.

“The line we are following is whether (any relatives) of the deceased should be charged. The gun belonged to the (victim’s) uncle and we understand it was licensed but we are investigating whether or not it was properly secured, how it was handled, whether the children were unattended and what led to the incident.

“That takes time, but we should know very soon if the file will go to the prosecutor’s office for charges or to the Coroner’s Court for further investigation.”

Last year, a 12-year-old boy was killed and his 11-year-old brother was taken to hospital after they were both shot while playing with a shotgun in Nassau Village.

According to preliminary reports, the boys’ father left the gun on a bed in a room where the two children were and went outside to get something from his car.

The victim received a gunshot wound to his side and his younger brother received injuries to his right leg.

The boys were taken to hospital by a private vehicle sometime after 1pm, but the 12-year-old died a short time after his arrival.

The 11-year-old survived the shooting.

No charges were filed in that incident.

Last week Chief Superintendent Ken Strachan, officer-in-charge of the Firearms and Tracing Unit, urged licensed gun owners to ensure that their weapons are properly secured.