The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THE sister of Rashad Laroda, the man who was killed in a police-involved shooting after reportedly speeding through a checkpoint, does not believe the Royal Bahamas Police Force’s version of the events.

“My brother was on his way home to his family not doing anything - they killed him for nothing,” Nikita Laroda said.

Police said officers were on routine patrols south along East Street on Tuesday shortly before 10pm when they observed a vehicle that drove through a police checkpoint at a high rate of speed.

“The officers beckoned the driver to stop with the use of the police beacon lights and siren,” a police crime report noted.

“The vehicle eventually came to a stop in the vicinity of Cordeaux Avenue and East Street. As the officers approached the vehicle, a male driver exited the vehicle armed with a weapon. The officers produced their service weapon and engaged the suspect, fatally wounding him.”

However, the 31-year-old’s sister told The Tribune “we do not believe what they are saying”.

The sister pointed to videos surfacing online of what appears to be the aftermath of the scene. One video shows bullet holes in a nearby building, blood on the pavement and a bullet riddled vehicle. Another video shows Laroda lying on the ground outside his car.

“Take a look at the videos. My brother’s car glass was up. . .his vehicle was riddled with bullets,” she said.

Her family is emotionally distraught, she said.

In March 2019, Laroda was charged with attempting to murder two police officers with a high powered semi-automatic weapon. Two years earlier, he was charged with several offences including conspiracy to commit murder and being a member of an unlawful gang.

He also faced gun charges in 2014.

However, his sister believes he was being “harassed” by police. As for the charges he faced, she claimed “nothing ever held up in court”.

“For years now my brother has done what he can to stay out of (their) maliciousness, even though staying out the way they found ways to be a menace in his life,” she added.

“They always had this saying, anything that went down they coming in Pinewood ... but for the way (they shot) him last night in cold blood and try to paint this picture of him having a gun? Pure BS.”

At the scene, police could not say if Laroda opened fire at officers before he was shot. However, they said a weapon was found on the deceased. Three officers were involved in the incident, however, it is unclear if they all fired at the deceased. One officer was wearing a body cam, according to police.

The incident will head to Coroner’s Court for an investigation.