Police at the scene of the shootings.
By NICO SCAVELLA
Tribune Staff Reporter
nscavella@tribunemedia.net
TWO young men were shot and killed in Yellow Elder Gardens Friday afternoon, both murders seemingly committed by culprits driving a champagne coloured, heavily tinted Honda Accord, according to police.
The Big T understands that Byron Saunders, aka “Bones”, and Jermaine Rolle, Jr, were gunned down minutes apart while standing in the vicinity of Nicholls Street around noon.
Rolle’s family members yesterday claimed that his murder is connected to that of his father in 2010. Meanwhile Saunders’ mother, Karen Joffre, said she had another son who was killed nine years ago. She said she must stay strong for her family, but did not understand why her son was killed yesterday.
According to Police Chief Superintendent Clayton Fernander, a No 8 bus was off-loading passengers on Nicholls Court and Butler’s Way when a champagne coloured Honda Accord pulled up behind it.
A young man got out from the passenger side armed with a handgun. He approached the bus and fired a shot at an individual in the bus, whom family members later identified as Rolle.
The bus driver drove straight to the Grove Police station on Baillou Hill Road to report the matter. Emergency medical service personnel were summoned and pronounced Rolle dead at the scene.
According to a man who claimed to be the deceased’s uncle, Rolle was employed at Caribbean Plumbing. He had been sent to Harbour Island for work and had only returned home for the Thanksgiving holiday.
He also said Rolle’s father was a murder victim in 2010, and his four sons – Rolle included – have since been targeted by the murderer, whom the uncle alleged is still on the loose.
“He’s a good person,” Rolle’s uncle said. “Hard worker. This boy don’t miss no day to work. He’s very intelligent. He’s a learning young fellow. Anything I put him to do he could do. I send him Harbour Island just to get away from all of this foolishness.
“This is an ongoing situation from his daddy get killed and he was a witness,” he added. “The boys who kill his father always trying to shoot at them.”
Rolle’s grandmother also told The Big T about her ongoing efforts in appealing to police to provide her grandsons with protection.
“Ever since 2010 when my son (Rolle’s father) was brutally murdered, his boys were witnesses,” she said. “I kept on continuously going to the police letting them know those children’s lives were at risk. What about police protection? And they never do anything about it. And the person who killed my son is out without an ankle bracelet,” she said.
“Since then this same fellow, he came and he tried to shoot one of (the sons) before, and he said they are not going to rest until they kill them. Now this is murder number one, and it’s four of those boys. And I keep going to the police and telling them those children’s lives are in danger.”
According to Rolle’s grandmother, Rolle was 20 or 21, a plumber and had also recently become a father.
The second murder reportedly occurred shortly before Rolle’s demise. According to Chief Supt Fernander, shortly after midday they received reports of gunshots heard in the area of Nicholls Court. Police responded and met the lifeless body of a young man who appeared to be in his early 20s lying on the side of the street with multiple gunshot wounds. EMS personnel responded and pronounced him dead on the scene.
Family members present at the scene identified him as Byron Saunders and one passer-by referred to the victim as “Bones”.
Chief Supt Fernander said: “Neighbours only heard gunshots and saw a vehicle speeding off. When they checked they noticed that the young man was lying to the side of the street. The description on the vehicle, all we are working with at this time it’s a champagne Honda Accord, heavily tinted. No number obtained at this time.”
Chief Supt Fernander said police are not ruling out the possibility of the murders being connected, but that it was too early in the investigative process to say so conclusively.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Stephen Dean called for more community support to aid police in their fight against crime, particularly in Yellow Elder Gardens, as yesterday’s killings pushed the total murders for the year to 108, according to The Tribune’s records.
“Despite our best efforts and troops on the ground we are still being blighted by incidents of shooting,” ACP Dean said. “I can tell you from the police, we have spared no efforts on the ground. We have mounted several operations. We just done an operation in the Yellow Elder area and arrested several persons. It’s obvious that something is wrong underneath.
“We are appealing to members of the public who might know what exists in these communities. It’s obvious that persons are in these areas with firearms. People know they’re sleeping in homes in the areas. Parents see them; brothers, sisters see what’s going on. We are asking you to please, before another life is taken away, that you get in contact with the police. Find a way to contact us and report these matters.”
Comments
Alex_Charles 10 years ago
what about the situations at the malls?
ohdrap4 10 years ago
care to elaborate? \it is too late to order from amazon
Alex_Charles 10 years ago
from what i've heard there is an incident at the mall at marathon and one at town center mall
BoopaDoop 10 years ago
But I really need to go to the mall this evening. When will it be safe to go. I heard the shooting happened in the day. There is a police station there and lots of security, but that doesn't seem to be enough.
tourist1001 10 years ago
Breaking News!? Seems like just another Friday in the crime capital of the world. :(
duppyVAT 10 years ago
Nassau needs curfew ................. sunset to sunrise. Now metal detectors at the malls??????
TalRussell 10 years ago
On bad days like these at least we have Creole comedy lift we spirits. Listening live that Guardian Radio Creole Talk Show, where the stated topic tonight is on da evils of fornication. A caller called in, not talk about who cheating on who but to complain why the show is always only playing Creole music? Host angrily scolded da caller, that if he didn't like it, go take it Jesus. Now, I enjoy tuning-in cause its really a Creole Comedy Talk Show, with listener participation.
Amèn!
countryfirst 10 years ago
Two death penalty sentences carried out.Can the government start doing their jobs and get rid of everyone on deathrow please.
TalRussell 10 years ago
http://tribune242.com/users/photos/2014…
GrassRoot 10 years ago
what the police needs is not troops, it is intelligence. the only way to crack open this vicious circle of killing and killing back.
SP 10 years ago
The politicians are afraid to repeal the bail act, afraid of sustained road block weapons checks, afraid to do the necessary to carry out hangings, afraid to recognize a lack of leadership.
Mexico waited until they hit rock bottom as a failed state unwilling to make changes to reign in crime.
After the U.S. imposed a no travel ban on Acapulco and mass demonstrations against murders by complicit corrupt police and local government officials Mexico finally had to face the facts and make radical constitutional to address crime and corruption.
http://news.yahoo.com/11-burned-bodies-…
The Bahamas is well on the way to a crime ridden failed state status.
Will Bahamas government also wait until after tourism is destroyed before they too are motivated to make radical changes to deal with our radical crime problem?
Sickened 10 years ago
Short answer... YES!!!
John 10 years ago
"the murderer who killed the boy's dad is out on bail without an ankle bracelet.." and they have threatened to kill ALL FOUR of the sons, according to grandma.
THE ADDITIONAL COURTS THAT WERE PROMISED by the government over a year ago aRe STILL NOT UP AND RUUNNING!
When you have more murderers out on bail and roaming the streets freely, what more can you expect?
It is like ZERO to tae another life or two!!
any questions?
John 10 years ago
There are people who are suffering beyond description. They are innocent people, they didn't bring this upon themselves. They are the victims of the sins of other people. And while it's hard to see, it's important to understand that these people exist.
Mia Farrow
The truth is that killing innocent people is always wrong - and no argument or excuse, no matter how deeply believed, can ever make it right. No religion on earth condones the killing of innocent people; no faith tradition tolerates the random killing of our brothers and sisters on this earth.
Feisal Abdul Rauf
jinglealltheway 10 years ago
What amazes me is that the minute someone is murdered, people jump out in the media about he was a good boy he never bothered anyone. If you look at one of the victims 'Facebook' page, those pictures will tell this story. Parents needs to take control of their children or suffer the consequences of their actions by burying them young. Everyone is always targeting the GOVERNMENTS about CRIME, but it starts in your households to fix the problems of those fatherless children. While your children is young, get them involve in sports activities and stop trying to baby them and creating monsters out of them especially our young boys. Stop blaming the GOVERNMENT for your lousy parenting problems. 80% of murders this year are young men under 26 years old. Parents do not want to get involve in there children schooling to help teachers, parents don't want to help their children mature. All these lousy mothers and some dead beat daddies care about is their children bringing them money, drug money. Parents step up
Emac 10 years ago
You are absolutely correct in stating that most of these mothers are in denial when they sing that same ole song about "he was a good boy." But a person's Facebook page has nothing to do with their character. Most young Bahamians post pictures and videos that are a part of the trend. You will find these types of postings on the pages of good and bad youth.
Sickened 10 years ago
Correct! Most of these young guys want to look like complete idiots on their social pages. These young men are uneducated fools. Want respect? Dress well and act the part. Want to be treated like a punk, then dress the part.
duppyVAT 10 years ago
It should become mandatory that when a person gets pregnant and go for pre-natal care, that person should be given a course in motherhood/fatherhood, psychological readiness and maternal coaching ................... thats what is needed............. a law in parenting
TheMadHatter 10 years ago
Yes, this would be great - except when you consider what would be done if someone failed to attend the course - or pass it - or just showed a lack of interest. Would we then have forced abortions on people? While I also don't think that would be a bad idea either - it would never work with the International organizations breathing down our necks - like the U.N. Human Rights people (reproduction is considered a right) - and those Amnesty clowns who always seem to find about 3 days to highlight almost any issue - and then just as quickly sweep it into the abyss of things forgotten.
People are breeding like animals all over the world, and yet we consider ourselves to be more intelligent than the other animals.
I always ask people - Do you think a rancher could tell you how many horses you can breed in a 500ft by 900ft horse pen? They say - yeah, sure I guess he could - that's his business. Then I ask them, do you think the U.N. could tell you how many humans you can breed on this planet taking into consideration the number of liveable acres of land (ie. not desert, not frozen tundra, not mt. everest, etc).? They look at me blank. Then I say - no, they can't. As far as they are concerned (and most people agree) the number of humans that can live on the Earth is infinity. We can increase our current 7 billion all the way up to 50 billion in the minds of many, without any consequences. Well, the consequences are becoming more and more apparent every year.
Sickened 10 years ago
What we need is an intelligence test and job (or HUSBAND with job) in order to have a child. If you are not mentally or financially fit to bring up a child then the child should be aborted and the woman slapped for being ignorant!!!
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