Arrest made in gambling shop murder
(CNS): A man was arrested Wednesday in connection with the murder of Harry Elliott (62) at a George Town illegal gambling shop on School Road Monday evening. The suspect, one of around six men that the police believe are at the core of a criminal gang behind the current spate of gun violence, was given help by a woman, Detective Superintendent Peter Lansdown said during a press briefing on Thursday held in the wake of another murder, the second in Cayman in three days.
Police Commissioner Derek Byrne said the RCIPS needs assistance to find the suspects and collect the evidence to prosecute them, as he appealed to the community “to tell us where they are, tell us where the guns are, tell us where their cars are”. He said that this is a small community and people hear things.
Lansdown added that the police need witnesses to give evidence against these people, not to protect them. He said the woman who was assisting the suspect had also been arrested for harbouring him, and both of them remained in custody.
“That female had been warned not to offer any aid or assistance to any of these people who were wanted, but when we caught him he was with her,” said Lansdown. “So people in the community are acting inappropriately and harbouring these criminals.”
Deputy Commissioner Kurt Walton said that other women had been “driving around” the criminals involved in this spate of violent crime, which includes nine out the 12 recent armed robberies as well as the two murders this week. He said assisting these men to store their weapons or provide them with shelter was facilitating their criminality, making the women as culpable as the men committing the gun crime.
“You may as well have been at the murder scene,” Walton said, as he urged people to stop helping the criminals and instead help the police catch what appears to be an organised crime gang that is engaged in extortion and robberies, and now targetted murders.
The police are now dealing with two violent murders in one week: the gang-style execution of a former crown witness, Caine Thomas, who was just 21 years old, and the killing of Elliott, a former prison guard, at a barbershop known for illegal gambling. But the police officers face the challenge of getting those who know something to talk about a group of very dangerous men.
Governor Martyn Roper issued a statement Wednesday about the murder of Elliott, whom he described as a “well-loved member of our community”. He urged the public to help the RCIPS, who are “doing all they can to swiftly identify and bring to justice the perpetrators of this terrible crime”.
Roper said he had every confidence in the police. “In my time as governor, I have been impressed with the success of RCIPS in identifying for prosecution those suspected of the most serious crimes,” he said, as he supported the appeal for information.
“This type of incident is not the Cayman I have come to admire and respect. If you have any information please contact RCIPS so they can apprehend those responsible for this heinous crime and obtain justice for the family of Mr Elliott,” he said.
So far, he has not issued a comment on the murder of Thomas on Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Roy McTaggart, a member of the National Security Council, which is expected to be briefed on the murders and the current state of the investigations next week, urged the police to clamp down on the criminals and asked people in the community to say what they know.
“The opposition fully supports the efforts of the RCIPS and the commissioner of police to investigate and capture the perpetrators. But equally important, we again ask the RCIPS to clamp down severely on individuals known to be a danger to society. The evil of gun and gang culture cannot be left to grow and must be curtailed,” he said.
Anyone with information about these murders is asked to call the Major Incident Room at 649-2930.
Anonymous tips can be provided directly to the RCIPS via the Confidential Tip Line at 949-7777
or via the RCIPS website.
- Fascinated
- Happy
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- Bored
- Afraid
If witnesses could remain safe under the rcip they would come forward. Caine was a witness and now he’s dead. One can’t help but think the people he testified against orchestrated his murder.
People have no faith in the lackluster performance of the police and as such remain silent for self preservation.
Who could blame them.
Why cant the jamaican Police close down the jamaican cash pot lottery operating here as they seem to be all over the Cayman/Honduran Chica lottery arresting everybody but yet NOT a single solitary arrest for it! It plays 7 times times daily as opposed to only Sunday for the Other We know exactly what this is Cayman and its spread throughout this island and corrupting every legitimate process including Law Enforcement and Justice now too.
Need Singapore law here.that put a big, big dent in crime here. But U k won’t allow that to happen.
Now all the RCIPS need to do is arrest Sabrina.
And Wayne
So it’s a known gambling shop but nothing is fine about that. Illegal activities left to operate freely.
Big deal. So people want to gamble? It shouldnt be anyone’s business that willing people want to gamble.
It should be legal first. Don’t be a loser.
Whilst I agree about gambling the obvious point is the Police don’t have the right to choose which laws they enforce or against who. If I opened a Casino you can be damn sure I’d be arrested on day 1.
So said by an individual probably doing illegal actions… How many brain cells does it take to realize that places like this and their activity sometimes lead to folks getting shot. Can’t believe some of the knuckleheads that post here.
The point here is that illegal activity leads to the premises being targeted, knowing there’s going to be cash to steal, with few ways to secure it.
I believe gambling should be legalized, and find the situation is ridiculous, but here we are.
Knowing it, and proving it in court can be very different things.
You would think someone in the RCIPS might have thought of the fairly well known technique of a plainsclothes officer going in an d buying a ticket.
So I am suppose to come forward if I am a witness lmao. Like the witness they executed cause he was a witness? Why wasn’t he protected? Nope won’t do it
Well done Byrnes, Walton and the rest of the RCIP .
BUT
Is it already too late for Cayman? Our only hope is Mandatory Sterilization of all male and females who have committed serious crime ! Also their offspring should have the same treatment when reaching puberty. Then after they reach, say the age of 25 and have been a positive influence on society, they can have the procedure reversed.
How else is the conveyor belt of scum breeding scum going to be broken. Unfortunately the UK will never allow the Death Penalty.
The DNA pool needs to be cleansed for the better of all law abiding people.
No apologies !
Is it you, Francis Galton, advocating again for selective breeding program for humans? Or it is Charles Davenport? Both are dead, but maybe reincarnated in you?
Never heard of those two gentlemen.
It’s a selective NON breeding program I’m hoping for.
Reincarnation ? Oh my goodness.
Amen!
What kind of ignorant troll bullshit is this? You people are weird.
Mandatory sterilization is unconstitutional. Sounds like something a more compassionate version of Adolf Hitler would do. Not cool, buddy.
And thank you to the Opposition for speaking up! I don’t expect to hear much from the member for GTC for obvious reasons
‘This type of incident is not the Cayman I have come to admire and respect.’ Don’t know much then do you.
Nor I, but it is the Cayman of the present and future.
“tell us where they are, tell us where the guns are, tell us where their cars are”…and if you could tell them how to arrest them…that would good too.
How difficult can this be on an island 75 miles squared?!
Very, apparently.
Well done RCIP. I am a harsh critic, but credit is due. Thank you.
Well done? Credit is Due to a dog. All Balistics, Dna Testing, and even Cell Phone Data.. has to be sent to the U.K because we dont do it here.