The Tribune

By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

A 34-year-old father of two was shot in the head and killed yesterday morning while buying breakfast from a popular food stand on Horseshoe Drive.

Superintendent B K Bonamy Jr, head of homicide investigations at the Central Detective Unit, said the victim was at Roosies in the Oakes Field area around 8am when he was approached by two men driving a green SUV.

Police have not officially identified the victim, but The Tribune understands he is Jamaal Huyler, an employee of BTC. This latest homicide brought the country’s murder count to 92 for the year, according to The Tribune’s records.

Supt Bonamy said officers arrived to find a man lying on his back. “EMS personnel examined the victim and pronounced him lifeless on the scene,” he said.

“Thus far, we don’t know much about what happened but what we do know is that a man was at the breakfast stand when two men approached him in a green SUV. The men fired several shots at him before speeding off in an unknown direction. We are appealing to members of the public who may have seen a green SUV to contact CDU immediately.”

Khandi Gibson, founder of the organisation Families of All Murder Victims (FOAM), was at the murder scene yesterday.

Ms Gibson, who became an activist after two of her brothers were murdered, said she is disappointed that neither the government nor the Bahamian people seem to be concerned about the number of murders in the country.

Last week, Ms Gibson organised an anti-crime protest in Rawson Square that was poorly attended. She said the turnout was indicative of Bahamians’ “all talk, no action” attitude.

“This is why I tell persons, all Bahamians good for is beating up our mouths on Facebook, text or Whatsapp, but when it’s time for us to stand united, no one comes. The other day we were in Rawson Square for a peace protest, because we were sick and tired of being sick and tired and no one came,” she said.

“We know it isn’t the government’s fault entirely, but at the end of the day the law is on the books and they have the power to change the laws and adjust the laws, amend the laws to give stiffer penalties and they aren’t doing it. But we as a people, we can make it happen. We need to band together because murder affects everyone. But I will not stop, I will go on Bay Street by myself if I have to, enough is enough, we cannot sit by and watch our brothers and sisters get murdered.”

She added: “You can’t have breakfast now? Imagine if his children were there? We are addressing everything, when are we going to address crime?”

Police are also investigating the deaths of two men last week. The first victim was shot in the head on August 4, while driving on Augusta Street. He crashed into a fence and died.

Last Thursday, police said a man was found shot dead in a Honda on East Street and Cordeaux Avenue.

Anyone with information on these homicides is asked to contact police at 911 or 919, the Central Detective Unit at 502-9991 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 328-TIPS.