By JADE RUSSELL
jrussell@tribunemedia.net
A BUS driver was killed and a 16-year-old boy was injured during a brazen daylight shooting on a public jitney yesterday.
The double shooting occurred at Florida Court and Robinson Road, while the 15A bus was on its route.
Chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings said shortly before 10am, as a male passenger got off the 15A bus, he approached the 32-year-old driver and fired a shot which killed him. A teenager, who was a passenger on the bus, was also shot and taken to hospital for his gunshot injuries.
The bus driver was on bail for murder and attempted murder, The Tribune understands.
CSP Skippings urged members of the public who may have seen a vehicle leaving the area at high speed or a suspect that may have got off the bus to contact the police.
“I also take this time, again, to speak to parents and family members who know that their families are in possession of weapons. I asked you to reach out to your police department, provide us with the information. Let’s get these weapons off the streets. These weapons, yeah, they are intended for other persons. But again, I reiterate, those weapons can actually be used on you or your family members,” she added.
It was reported there were other passengers on the bus at the time however there were no other reports of injuries.
As CSP Skippings spoke to reporters, screams from the deceased’s family echoed in the background.
Loved ones of the deceased were inconsolable at the murder scene, as they mourned the lost life of the bus driver.
Some bystanders crowded the area as well trying to figure out how the brazen daylight shooting even happened.
When asked if this incident raised a concern to officers to increase their patrol, especially on bus routes, CSP Skippings said, “We are definitely concerned about it. But yet again, it speaks to individuals and it speaks to family. You hear me keep saying that. When that individual left home or when he left a residence, somebody knew he had a weapon. The right thing to do would be to contact the police to save a life. We are concerned about it. We do have saturated patrols.”
This is the country’s 104th murder for the year according to this newspaper’s records and the third murder in less than a week.
A man was shot and killed by police on Sunday night after he fatally chopped another man with an axe. Earlier on Sunday, a woman was shot and killed at Arawak Cay around 1.45am. She was walking with another woman when she was approached and shot multiple times by a man wearing a hooded jacket.
EMS personnel arrived at the scene and confirmed there were no signs of life.
Anyone with information on these incidents is asked to call police at 502-9991 or Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS.
