The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

A 30-year-old man was shot multiple times as he stood outside a home on John Chipman Street and later died in hospital on Saturday night.

While police have not released his identity, The Tribune understands the victim is Rafik “Rafi” Turnquest. The incident marks the country’s 142nd murder for the year, according to the newspaper’s records.

According to reports, around 9pm the victim was standing outside when a man armed with a handgun approached and shot him before fleeing the scene on foot.

Some time later, a relative of the deceased “ran over” the suspected killer with his car, Chief Superintendent Paul Rolle told The Tribune. Police have one person in custody for Turnquest’s murder and another man was apprehended in connection with the act of vigilante justice.

However, Chief Supt Rolle said officers are still looking for the driver who “caused harm to a man he suspected of killing the victim”.

“Our information is that after the death of the victim, this relative went and located the person he believed to have committed the murder and ran him over with his car,” Chief Supt Rolle said.

“This person then fled the scene. So presently we have one person in custody in connection with the homicide, but we also have the person that was in the car when this person was knocked down in custody as well. We are looking for the driver of the car.”

Police are also probing a shooting that happened early yesterday.

According to reports, a man was walking on Weir Street off Baillou Hill Road when he was shot.

The victim was taken to hospital where he remains in stable condition. The incident happened at 5.30am.

Saturday’s killing came a week after Ashton Demeritte died in hospital after being shot multiple times outside a nightclub on Tonique Williams-Darling Highway on December 13.

Demeritte was reportedly sitting in a car outside the nightclub when a man armed with a handgun approached and shot him before fleeing in a white vehicle.

On Friday, Prime Minister Perry Christie promised “good news” was coming soon in the crime fight. While speaking at a luncheon at police headquarters, Mr Christie also pledged to recruit more police officers, expand the government’s closed circuit television programme and give the Royal Bahamas Police Force additional resources.