Sleeping woman had narrow escape in shooting
(CNS): Police have revealed that a number of shots were fired by the gunman, or gunmen, on Friday night that killed 20-year-old David Ebanks and a sleeping woman had a very narrow escape. Detective Chief Inspector Malcolm Kay said that two stray bullets, fired when Ebanks was shot outside Undra’s jerk stand, hit a nearby house where the occupant was asleep in her bed.
There have been a number of unconfirmed reports that another man was injured during the shooting close to Kelly’s bar in Birch Tree Hill Road. Police have stated that the second person, if he was hit, does not appear to have sought medical attention for the injury and has not yet come forward to police.
As West Bay detectives continue to appeal for witnesses in what is believed to be the latest gang-related killing in the district, officers have stated that the silver Hyundai Accent which was believed to have been used by the killers was found burnt out in Boatswain Bay.
Meanwhile, Rudy Ebanks, the victim’s father, has said that his son was not the intended target of the shooters.
“I think what happened was he was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he told local TV station, Cayman27. “The mentality of the shooters … these days is that if I am coming for you and your friends happen to be around you, if I hit one of them, it’s like a plus. I strongly believe that he was a victim of being an innocent bystander.”
As he urged people not to seek revenge on behalf of his son, in light of the indications from some alleged gang members on social media that his death would lead to more killings, Ebanks said that this could happen to anyone now if the violence continues.
The situation of gang violence spilling over into the wider community was raised earlier this month by the father of another murder victim, Victor Olive Yates. His son was shot in the early morning hours of 3 January outside the popular late night spot, Super C’s on Watercourse Road. Yates said that his son was not a gang member but got into a dispute with gang members, whom he knew, over a boat engine and it was this argument that led to his murder.
Concerns are being raised that young men carrying weapons in the district are not just settling ongoing gang feuds with bullets but day-to-day disagreements as well. While not all the youngsters in the district may consider themselves gang members, being a close-knit community means that those who have nothing to do with guns and gangs may still find themselves embroiled in the gang rivalry.
Police continue to battle a wall of silence in the district regarding the latest gang violence. With a combination of a lack of community trust for the RCIPS, concerns over their inability to keep the identity of anyone who gives information confidential and the lack of proper witness protection schemes, people remain hesitant to come forward, fearing for their own safety and that of their families.
Police will be holding in public meeting in West Bay on Wednesday evening starting at 7:30pm in the school hall at John A Cumber Primary, and everyone is encouraged to attend.
