Key witness shot dead on Seven Mile Beach
(CNS): Caine Demetree Thomas (21), a key witness in two trials relating to a home invasion in 2017, was shot dead on Seven Mile Beach early this morning. Police believe he was killed by the same criminal gang behind the escalating gun violence, including a robbery gone wrong in which a man was murdered on Monday night and a spate of least nine armed robberies.
Thomas was gunned down on the quiet northern end of Seven Mile Beach in the bush area between White Sands condos and the Sundowner Villa at around 1:30am Thursday.
The police have refused to comment on whether they believe the motive for the killing was his role in convicting both Elmer Wright, who is currently serving his sentence in the UK, and Shane Connor, who remains at HMP Northward. But Police Commissioner Derek Byrne said at a press briefing that Thomas was known to police. Byrne also said that Thomas knew who he was going to meet before his murder.
Thomas left the home of a relative in the George Town area at around 11pm Wednesday night with, police believe, another man to meet people who were known to him in this secluded area of the beach. But it appears that when he arrived he was shot multiple times, including two gunshot wounds to the head.
Thomas was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police later found his car parked more than a mile form the crime scene at Cemetery Beach.
While police said they were not able to reveal everything, they have a good idea who is involved. Investigators are now seeking these suspects but believe they are being harboured by other members of the community. The police are therefore urging people to come forward and reveal what they know about the second murder of 2022.
Thomas was understood to still be on license for his own role in the Prospect home invasion, which led him to give evidence against his co-conspirators, Wright and Connor.
Police would not be drawn on his role as a crown witness as they are focused on solving his murder, Nevertheless, Detective Superintendent Peter Lansdown maintained that the police can and do keep people safe when they come forward, as he urged the community to tell police what they know about this violent gang.
Anyone with information 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
- Sad
- Angry
- Bored
- Afraid
A key witness is shot dead and the police are urging people to come forward as a witness and reveal what they know about the murder of a witness. Sure. I can see people beating down the door to the station to become a witness.
At least Elmer got a whole life sentence. Shane only got a few years despite probably being the mastermind behind the home invasion, getting away with many other crimes and terrorizing Cayman for years.
Shane is no mastermind of anything, trust.
Shane really is a criminal that needs to be locked up forever and never get on the road again to cause mayhem.
DCFS and Education, the blood of these youth are on your hands. It is often clear that individuals such as Caine and Elmer need intense early intervention to avoid the predictable outcomes we see today.
While the DCFS and Education bury their heads in the sand and hope that these issues will go away, a whole host of at risk youth are being groomed and prepared for a life of violence and crime.
All of these victims have the same background and life paths, so changing outcomes is achievable if priorities and hard choices are made.
Please let’s not sacrifice another generation due to the self interest, corruption and misguided priorities of the Ministers and Officers in charge.
These are not imported gang leaders from Jamaica, but home grown fellow Caymanians who’s parents were also problems when we were at school. Let’s break the cycle to change our future!
Isn’t Caine Jamaican and Elmer Honduran?
They went to the government high school do I’m guessing not.
Stop repeating nonsense. Thousands of expatriates have gone through government schools. Even today there are hundreds of foreign children in attendance.
Your question reminds me of a Canadian newspaper in 1988. One day the headlines blared “Canadian sprinter sets new world record”. Three days later the headlines in the same paper read “Jamaican-born sprinter fails drug test”.
Once we give them status they are one of us. If committing certain crimes is reason to revoke status then by all means do so, but until that is done they are ours.
Especially if they were born here or moved here as kids. But for some people you are not Caymanian unless you are multi generational, and even then not if you have any Jamaican ancestry.
Actually it is more the fault of no parents!!!
FREE BIRTH CONTROL.
Protection or none, it would have happened sooner or later unless he was moved to another country. Cayman is simply too small.
The root cause in this instance is actually a product of crap families and sub-standard educational attainment. The victim left school barely able to read or write; he was never going to be a productive member of society with the options available to him. This is the net result as he gravitated to like-minded individuals. It’s all very sad.
While we continue to vote violent thugs and criminals into parliament we will never change this slide into violent thuggery. We’re not just tolerating stupidity and criminality we are celebrating and rewarding it.
Why no witness protection?
Remember when McBeater said there were no gangs in Cayman. Maybe that was before his infamous bobo list status grants?
That was Truman.
Roots troll again bruh
If we had stopped it then, we wouldn’t be where we are at. They still are in denial, we have a very high crime rate here and sooner than later the world will know, and we won’t be considered “the safest little Island”, which we haven’t been for a very long time
The Jamaica Constabulary Force recently sniffed-out 8 of their trusted officers that were found to have been embedded members of the Ranko Gang, responsible for spates of 17 robberies, murders, abductions in Clarendon, Manchester, St Elizabeth, St Catherine, St Mary, Trelawny, Kingston, St Andrew and St James. Similar violence patterns to what RCIPS are calling related gang-led events here.
What is your point exactly? Please spell it out, so we know what you are thinking.
Live by the sword. Die by the sword.
Guess who are also known to police? The leaders of our domestic gangs, their criminal specialties, and their intra-district spheres of influence. It is curious that the RCIPS don’t interfere, surveil, or make arrests, even when they know who and where they are. How can it not be deliberate. #whoshotFrank
Am I missing something??? He was a WITNESS and the crown’s witness at that…no protection and now shot dead..so yea sure, people are going to come forward…I don’t think so. This is on the RCIPS…piss poor police department. Anywhere else “a witness” to murders should be protected…what a joke!!
He wasn’t a witness to a murder, was he? It says a home invasion, but I wasn’t here in 2017.
Plus the case he was involved with was already going to trial and been settled.
Firstly it’s tragic that another young local man has lost his life in such violent circumstances. Does raise the question though that if you enter the protected witness scheme wouldn’t part of your side of the deal be not to associate with other known criminals on an isolated beach in the middle of the night ?
Garbage. He will only get protection if he wants it. The police may warn him of risks and recommend protection, but unless there is evidence of a threat, he will have to request protection.
Frank knows who shot Frank. But Frank won’t talk on Frank.
2.45pm Thursday- saw three police trucks driving flat out down the Shamrock Rd in Savannah- lights and siren blaring, looked like the Armed Response Unit, heading towards BT so hope they were on their way to catch someone!
Wasn’t it the parrot.
“Pretty Polly wants a cracker”. Then and only then the good Doctor may reveal who shot Frank.
RCIP. Here is your chance. When you find the scum that did this, make sure you also arrest the scum that are harboring and assisting ans covering for them. Do not “warn them for intended prosecution.” Lock them up and keep them locked up. Get the case before the court, don’t let it languish for months or years. Go full Skylar Mack on their asses!
Regrettably, it is not always up to RCIPS who to “lock up and keep locked up.” I agree with you in wishing that those assisting the thugs get hooked up also, and expeditiously. We all do. The legal process often grinds exceedingly slowly, at least for the victims and their families of the crimes.
So why was Skylar Mack an exception? Swift Justice is available. Did someone at legal have to work into their lunch hour?
This rock is rapidly going to sh!t
That horse bolted long time.
Correct. Caymanians let it go by selling everything they had.
The armed robberies began in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan. The crooks found that there was no response. It has gotten progressively worse since then, and probably will not improve until the point where the law-abiding citizens take the law into their own hands.
Valid lack of trust in the confidentiality of RCIPS leads to much less intel that could otherwise make a difference. Sister Islands, nobody says nothin’. It’s right there in front of your face. Trust is the issue. Probably the same in all districts.
Aftermath of Ivan or aftermath of status grants? Coincidence?
Live by the sword…. RIP, some mother’s child.
What does this say for the posts (including my own) encouraging the public to help keep our community safe by assisting RCIPS with info? Ha!
So, didn’t the dear departed testify in the recent Shane Connor trial and was supposedly under “protection” or didn’t he and wasn’t he?
CCTV camaras … hellooooo … we need to show images to the public – not keep them hidden away !
CCTV cameras at the beach? Where are they?
They are with the lifeguards.
So just let me get this straight, the police want me to come forward and give information about the murder of a man who was killed for giving information… I will get right on that.
a man who continued to be involved in violent crime since that time, just so we are clear
It would be concerning to the public that the police are asking potential witnesses to come forward when they are not at least willing to say that they don’t have any evidence that would suggest a link between the murder and the fact that the deceased assisted the police as a witness in relation to an earlier matter.
I dont understand if the police knew he was going to meet someone why was he not protected ?
CNS: They didn’t. I have reworded it a little to make this clearer. Sorry if it was ambiguous.