Shots fired during gas station armed robbery
(CNS): A gunman fired his weapon into the air as he entered the Esso gas station on Dorcy Drive shortly after 10pm Tuesday night before demanding cash from a customer. He was one of two men who had arrived at the scene on a motorbike and afterwards they both left on the bike. The robbery comes at a time when the RCIPS senior command is raising concerns about the increasing use of firearms by criminals.
While the robbers arrived at and fled the location on a motorcycle, soon after the robbery police seized a car they believe was connected to the crime.
Officers “had cause to stop the car” as it was travelling in the School Road area. The vehicle refused instructions to stop immediately, and when it did the two occupants made their escape. The car was searched and items that appeared to connect the car to the robbery were recovered. As a result, the vehicle is now being examined by investigators.
Police are now searching for the two suspects. The man who entered the gas station was described as wearing long blue jeans, a multi-coloured long-sleeved shirt and had his hands, head and face covered. The second man was also wearing long clothing and had his head and face covered.
This, the latest in a spike of robberies, took place just before the police released the annual crime statistics on Wednesday for 2021. Among the issues in the latest report police noted an increase in gun crime last year, which appears to be continuing into 2022. Six guns were recovered by police last year and three have been seized already since the start of this year.
At a press briefing on Wednesday, Police Commissioner Derek Byre appealed to the public to report any information they have about illegal firearms to the police, as he outlined the concerns about gun violence. He said that the RCIPS does not know how many weapons are in circulation in Cayman at present but there is a mix of both long and short arm guns in the community.
“We know there are more on-island,” he said, referring to the nine weapons seized over the last 15 months. He said police would continue to develop the intelligence to find the weapons but they needed the public to assist police in telling them where weapons might be.
Chief Superintendent Pete Lansdown also pointed to drug trafficking as a source of guns, noting that firearms are brought into the Cayman Islands alongside ganja and cocaine.
According to the statistics, there were 57 crimes last year involving guns, including murder, attempted murder and robbery.
See the police briefing on crime statistics on CIGTV below:
- Fascinated
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Right when the cruise ships come back, no less. Dog eatin’ ya suppa.
They were probably looking some gas money.
I filled my car up yesterday and felt I had been robbed
Jamaicans ruining this country as they have done to their own!!…but our leaders cant see that…rest in peace Estella scott robinson…
Camaica time! They know that law abiding citizens arent armed like they are in Jamaica.
Mental illness is a huge problem here that isnt discussed enough and the rampant luxury developments are depressing thousands who feel tbey have no voice and no future.
Because armed law abiding citizens in Jamaica is so effective at stopping crime there. Right.
You can tell that they didn’t think that through. If a man wants to come in your house and he thinks you have a gun, he’s just going to escalate his firepower. If that was the solution, crime would have been solved millennia ago.
Crime pays well, always.
Good thing no one hired them, they would be robbed blind.
Jacans have taken over the roads…where are the poice? Oh..i forgot..mosta thm jacans too…lol
Stop blaming Jamaicans for everything, majority come here for a better life. You never know who did it but until a person is convicted shut the hell up- Caymanian
Yeah like more money to rob
When Jamaicans stop being disproportionately responsible for most of the shit that goes down here, then I will certainly stop blaming them. Hell, it seems even many of the Caymanians that are responsible, are Jamaican.
I got robbed at the gas station this morning.
Copying celebrity jokes now.
Unoriginal for sure
Enforce laws like Singapore, then will see much less crimes. Of course Government not going to do that, for the criminals has their rights over law abiding citizens
I have anonymously reported many times to the police and crime stoppers Cayman about people who I KNOW have guns in their home, but nothing is ever done about it!
Guns can be bought for less than a monthly CUC bill.
How does a vehicle refuse instructions to stop? Very stubborn some of these smart cars
What is the Commissioner’s plan to deal with all this?
Operation who cares apparently
They need to share pics from the cctv video.
These occurrences are terrible for the victims but are no surprise.
Criminals have no fear of the police, prosecution, or judicial systems. They know that they are very unlikely to be arrested let alone charged and exceedingly unlikely to be convicted. Even if convicted they know that the revolving door/exceedingly lenient/early release/Northward Hilton and Spa is a nothing more than a short holiday.
Government is mostly responsible for all of this, and we the people share the rest of the blame for not properly holding CIG to account on issues, but CIG have set the tone time and time again. When investigations continually lead to no conclusions it emboldens criminals.
Government wants this repsonsibility or providing safety, so they better start fulfilling it. If not, the people will start taking matters into our own hands, and I’m sure that government won’t like that. So get it together and make use of the money you take from us for a change. When vigilante justice starts to take over, I’m not sure what people here will do.
Well, when the speaker of your parliament and your tourism minister are convicted criminals………..
With that description it should take long to round up the criminals.
rcips….i have lots of video footage of crimes and offences…you want the footage?
Do we still have an annual gun amnesty? Wonder whether this could assist. Even if one or a few few guns (and/or ammunition) are off the street, it’s a better position for our society.
Decriminalisation of cannabis and broadening medical cannabis legislation would also assist with decreasing illegal importation, which also brings, inter alia, illegal guns (ammunition and explosives) and hard hard drugs along with cannabis.
Increasing and decreasing are proportionate statistical terms that should only be used by folks that can demonstrate they’ve been in the field observing and/or keeping accurate logs. These are insulting terms to everyone who has had to live the failure – and for the absence of doubt, that’s the same pubic they are trying to win over through these press briefings.