Former FNM MP Don Saunders (pictured right) was shot and killed in a suspected armed robbery while in a yard in Gambier Village last night. Photos: Dante Carrer
Father of two killed in armed robbery in Gambier Village
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune News Editor
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
DON Saunders was looking forward to a week-end of catching up with his foster brothers and father — a ritual for him before marking Easter at St Christopher’s Anglican Church — when he was shot and killed in a yard on Margaret Road in Gambier Village last night.
Hours before he shockingly became the 35th murder victim of the year, the former Tall Pines MP and deputy speaker of the House of Assembly went about his life as usual: attending court, visiting the bank and conversing with friends and loved ones like Anglican Archdeacon Keith Cartwright, the foster father who raised him in Exuma since he was 12.
Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander said Saunders was among a group of about five or six people hanging out in a yard when two masked gunmen showed up and tried to rob them of cash. People panicked and scat- teredindifferentdirections, but only Saunders was shot.
Saunders had a teen daughter, Danielle, an ath- lete in the United States, and a teen son, Don Jr, an athlete on the upcoming Carifta swimming team, according to Archdeacon Cartwright, who raised Saunders when the lawyer encountered family issues as a boy.
Saunders also leaves behind his twin brother and his mother, who was heading to Andros for the weekend when she turned around upon hearing the news of her son’s death.
Many Free National Movement members were on the murder scene last night, including former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, FNM leader Michael Pintard, deputy leader Shanendon Cartwright, Adrian Gibson and former MPs like Elsworth Johnson, Marvin Dames, Darren Henfield, and Travis Robinson.
One man cried and yelled, “that’s my brother”. A woman fell out after crying.
In a post on X, the website formerly known as Twitter, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis expressed sadness over the incident. At the murder scene, Dr Minnis said Saunders made valuable contributions to public life as an MP under his term.
Father Cartwright said Saunders was among 33 foster children he cared for over some time.
“We always have a gathering of the family, all of my boys who are here with their wives, on Good Friday,” he said, hours after encountering Saunders at Royal Bank of Canada on Cable Beach, where he had a lengthy conversation with him. “We were going to do that, and then we were going to have something for Easter Monday.”
Comments
birdiestrachan 7 months, 3 weeks ago
Sorry to learn this.
mandela 7 months, 3 weeks ago
Hanging offense.
TalRussell 7 months, 3 weeks ago
It has to be considered if Comrade Don wasn't targeted after completing his ATM.transaction.--- I'd be viewing CCTV footage from the bank to the scene of the shooting. --- Yes?
ThisIsOurs 7 months, 3 weeks ago
I told someone out of country that a former MP was killed. That a gunman had tried to rob a group and everybody ran. They asked if he was the only one shot. And a lightbulb went off. He was. Possibly just wrong place, but Dr Minnis said there are cctv cameras around so they may solve this quickly.
Condolences to the family. There's no good time for death, an accident, a crime, sickness, age. Expected, unexpected. It simply doesnt matter.
Cobalt 7 months, 3 weeks ago
This is an atrocity beyond my ability to express! When are we going to wake up and take the necessary steps to hold our leaders accountable? There should be massive protest taking place in the Bahamas right now! The very same government that declares our country to be “safe” has proven unable to stem the tide of violence plaguing our nation! Once again murderers and arm robbers are being allowed to freelance and gorge themselves on the blood of innocent law abiding citizens while our so-called leaders stand powerless to help! It’s become increasingly obvious that Bahamians need to negate the laws preventing us from protecting our lives by taking the law into our own hands. Every law abiding citizen of this country needs to arm himself! THE GOVERNMENT HAS PROVEN UNABLE/UNWILLING TO PROTECT US! We need to fight for our right to exist in peace!
ThisIsOurs 7 months, 3 weeks ago
Nothing is more dangerous than an angry driver with a loaded gun
Cobalt 7 months, 3 weeks ago
Agreed! But isn’t that already the case? The only people that are not armed are the rational, law-abiding citizens.
ThisIsOurs 7 months, 3 weeks ago
Not so. I know of some pretty petty upstanding people who dont have guns. I wouldn't want to be in the way of them angry because they cant turn left on red or you take 2seconds to press gas when the light turn green.
GodSpeed 7 months, 3 weeks ago
Can blame politicians but it's the people that are the problem really. Culturally something is very wrong. I'd bet on many people who are not fit to be having kids in the first place raising criminals, "communities" with no real bonds like in the past, no church presence and young people consuming copious amounts of degenerate influences from social media, music etc.
rosiepi 7 months, 3 weeks ago
The US has more guns than citizens proving that arming everyone is no deterrence to crime. The government has to clamp down on the corruption in this country that feeds and maintains the illicit drug and firearm industries and if this sounds like an oxymoron it is because the current government is so corrupt! I recall in the waning months years of the last PLP government the crime & corruption rate was so bad they got drummed out of office.
GodSpeed 7 months, 3 weeks ago
When it comes to violent crime, the US is generally much safer than Nassau. The Bahamas has a murder rate comparable to the worst places for this stat in the US, like Chicago. It would be even safer in the US if Democrats weren't soft on crime in their cities and didn't allow criminals to run rampant. All gun laws do is keep guns out of the hands of law abiding people, since criminals don't obey the law anyway. That said, is Bahamian bureaucracy capable of the due diligence needed to take place before giving someone a firearm? Nope.
Porcupine 7 months, 3 weeks ago
Why do we keep looking at the results, thinking they are the reason? This latest murder is a culmination of decades of social rot. It starts at the head, and then the rest of the body rots. From local government to central government, the culture of criminality is the same. Dishonesty, theft, nepotism, pay to play, slack employees, contracts for the political darlings. This administration is among the worst. The Bahamian people vote for these results time and time again. Maybe this is the best we have to offer in politicians, our so-called "leaders":. Maybe there really is no alternative, within our borders. Is the clergy any better? Wonder why our schools are failing? Since adults seem to care so little for education, why would we expect a different future? We keep forgetting the maxim, "If you have nothing, you have nothing to lose." So long as our country continues to place the national economic burden, the result of a corrupt ruling class, firmly on the backs of the working class and poor, we should expect things to get worse. Nobody likes to talk about economic inequality, but the truth is out there folks. Now, let's go back to our phones and computers.
Cobalt 7 months, 2 weeks ago
Porcupine has a point! (Pun intended)
BONEFISH 7 months, 2 weeks ago
@Porcupine, spot on. I said in a previous post in the Bahamas,you need trained psychologists.You also need sociologists who could study and explain the root causes of crime and other anti social behaviour in this country.
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