Tragedy returns to Court Street: woman shot dead inside store
A woman has been shot dead this evening after an attack by a lone gunman inside a beauty salon just off Court Street — mere yards away from the double murder that rocked the island a month ago.
The fatal shooting took place at about 4.45pm, with a male suspect dressed in a black jacket, light-coloured pants and wearing gloves then exiting the business and riding off on a dark-coloured motorcycle.
Police officers and emergency medical technicians arrived and commenced life-saving measures after finding the unresponsive woman inside.
However, they confirmed within hours that the victim had been pronounced dead shortly after she was taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.
The daylight shooting has shocked a community still reeling from a very public double murder last month, and an area entrepreneur predicted an immediate chill for neighbourhood businesses.
Darrin Simons, the Commissioner of Police, said that the gunman walked into the Beauty Monster salon, located in the parking lot area by the Place’s Place bar, and “opened fire on a woman”.
Speaking at the scene, Mr Simons emphasised the urgent need for witnesses to assist, noting that on Court Street at that hour, “there are definitely people out there that have seen things”.
He added: “Without a doubt, this is a very tragic, heinous action by a member of our community and I would expect some community outrage and community assistance in response to this issue.”
“Today, our community has been shaken by a brazen yet senseless act of gun violence. A woman was shot just a little more than a month after two men tragically lost their lives in similar fashion, less than 50 metres from the scene of this latest incident.
“I want to assure the people of Bermuda that the Bermuda Police Service are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness and urgency.
“This afternoon I met with His Excellency the Governor, the Premier, Minister of National Security, as well as government representatives, to discuss the ongoing challenge of gun violence. I can attest that we are united in our determination to confront this threat and pursue every possible avenue to keep our community safe.
“Many of you will feel frustrated, apprehensive and angry at these events. I share those emotions. It is against the backdrop of our mostly peaceful community that a small group chooses senseless violence that undermines our way of life. We, the community, must prevail.
“Let me stress that the Bermuda Police Service remain steadfast to doing everything in our lawful power to bring those responsible to justice and to prevent further violence. We are working closely with our community partners and making full use of intelligence-led policing to identify and apprehend offenders.
“I want to thank those members of the public who have already called and provided us information on this incident. Your support is invaluable and I strongly encourage others with knowledge of this or any other crime, for that matter, to please make contact with us. What you share with us may well be what is needed to bring offenders to justice.
“Together, with courage, trust and co-operation, we can meet this challenge head on. My staff and I, along with Government House and our colleagues across government, remain committed to ensuring Bermuda is a place where residents can live free from the fear of violence.”
Anyone with information was asked to contact Chief Inspector Derricka Burns on 717-0921, or via e-mail at dburns@bps.bm.
Mr Simons could not confirm whether the woman had been the intended target of the shooting or was a customer or member of staff at the establishment.
He said that CCTV cameras opposite where the shooting took place were newly installed but not yet online.
He added that officers would conduct a “CCTV trawl” and examine available video footage to trace the suspect’s movements and build a description.
Mr Simons said the gunman left the premises on foot and employed “the use of a cycle, definitely, a little bit afterwards”, but could not say whether the vehicle was driven by another person.
Mr Simons said additional police patrols and a “community response plan” would be deployed for the area.
The incident occurred no more than 20 yards from the double murder of Natrae Eversley, 23, and Nakai Robinson, 18, who were shot dead on August 12, with a third person left injured.
It also marks the island’s second gun incident of the month, after a man was wounded in the early hours of September 10 in a shooting at Devon Spring Road in Devonshire.
Mr Simons said there had been “far too many” tragic incidents involving “some violent members of our community” opening fire in public places.
He added: “We absolutely need to do everything we can together as a community to bring a stop to this.
“Rest assured that the police, from an investigating perspective, are going to be responding to this. We’re going to be asking people to give us information, using all the tools that are available to gather information and bring offenders to justice.”
The owner of a Court Street business, who asked to remain anonymous, said that incidents such as these “make you feel like closing up shop”.
She said that the double murder last month caused foot traffic to shrink — and that she expected this attack would have the same effect.
The woman explained: “The last one affected everybody. It took us three days to recover.
“On a Friday, you’ve never seen Soul Food [restaurant] with no people in it. On Fridays, Soul Food is jammed to the point where [the owner] has a security guard out there.”
She added: “It has definitely affected the foot traffic, and this is going to make it worse.”
She said that the attack made her fear for her safety and the stability of local businesses.
She added that the focus of violence appeared to be shifting, moving from one block south from the Angle Street and Ewing Street junctions with Court Street south to Dundonald Street.
The woman called for a strong response from the Government, especially with the ruling Progressive Labour Party headquarters on Court Street.
She said: “They need to take better pride, better care and they need to make themselves visible out on the street because we business owners are struggling over here.
“These people are ruthless, they don’t care, and unless we do something very serious about it, nothing’s going to happen until an innocent bystander gets hurt.”
The public were urged to contact police to assist their investigation, or avail of the independent and confidential Crime Stoppers number 800-8477.
Anyone with information may also speak with a familiar police officer.
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