The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

A SECOND man was arraigned in a Magistrate’s Court yesterday charged with murdering a man and attempting to kill two others at a nightclub last month.

He was one of three men charged with separate murders yesterday.

Christopher Blyden, 24, of Bamboo Town, was charged with the February 9 killing of Rico Taylor and attempted murders of Anfernee Major and Jarvis Joseph.

His co-accused, 25-year-old Vernal Johnson, of Dumping Ground Corner, was arraigned last week.

According to initial reports, shortly after 11pm on the day in question, a group of people were at a nightclub on Hutchinson Street off Poinciana Drive, when three men entered the club and got into an argument with one of the patrons.

One of the three men subsequently produced a weapon and fired into the crowd, resulting in three male patrons being shot, police said. The suspects then got into a burgundy coloured Japanese vehicle and sped away.

Police were dispatched to the scene and upon arrival discovered that the victims were taken to hospital in a private vehicle and ambulance. A short time later, one of the men was pronounced dead.

The other two men were said to be in critical condition.

Yesterday, Blyden’s attorney, Devard Francis, brought the court’s attention to a recording of the alleged shooting that has been making the rounds on social media, and submitted to the court that his client could be a virtual complainant in the matter.

Nonetheless, Blyden was informed by the court that he would not be required to enter a plea to the charges and adjourned the matter to April 12 for service of a voluntary bill of indictment. He was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BDCS) in the interim.

Another man was arraigned in connection with a murder in Yellow Elder Gardens that occurred last week.

Stephon Mackey, 27, of Old Cedar Street, Yellow Elder Gardens, stood before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt charged with a single count of murder stemming from the February 27 incident.

It is alleged that on the day in question, Mackey murdered Glenton Pablito Smith.

According to initial reports, shortly before 11pm on the day in question, a male and female arrived at a residence on Seymour Street, Yellow Elder Gardens. As the man was about to secure the premises, he was approached by two armed men, who shot him before running away.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Mackey was not required to enter a plea to the charge and the matter was adjourned to May 9 for service of a VBI. He too was remanded to the BDCS in the interim.

Meanwhile, a man was arraigned over allegations he killed two men and attempted to kill another while they were reportedly playing cards under a car port in the Pinewood Gardens area last month.

Malik Fernander, 18, of Kemp Road, was charged with two counts of murder and one count of murder stemming from the February 16 shooting deaths of Rashad Bethel and D’Siorn Symonette, and the attempted murder of Roland Brown.

Fernander was not required to enter a plea to the charge and his matter was adjourned to May 9 for service of a VBI.

He was remanded in the interim.