Cops postpone public meetings after killings

(CNS): With two unsolved murders in West Bay within the first month of the year to deal with, the RCIPS has postponed a series of public meetings in the eastern districts scheduled for this coming week. An RCIPS spokesperson said that the meetings planned for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings in Bodden Town, North Side and East End will now be held in February. The George Town community meeting scheduled for 28 January has been re-scheduled to Wednesday 4 February. However, the meeting in West Bay on Wednesday will still take place

The meetings were scheduled by the district area commanders in order to listen to concerns about policing within their districts. But district appears, once again, to be in the grip of tit for tat violence triggered by a minor dispute and it is highly likely that the murders of Victor Yates on 3 January and David Ebanks on 23 January, as well as a non-fatal shooting on 5 January, which is believed to be related, will take centre stage.

The police arrested one young man in connection with the shooting outside Pop-aTop liquor store on the evening of 5 January but he has not been charged and no other arrests have been made in connection with the two fatal shootings, which are believed to be gang related.

Police have said that there were at least ten witnesses to the killing of Yates. Although police have said little about the circumstances regarding Ebanks’ murder on Friday, other reports suggest that at least five hooded assailants were seen chasing after Ebanks before he was gunned down and killed behind the food stand across from Kelly’s Bar on Birch Tree Hill Road.