‘Gun for hire’ used in multiple crimes
(CNS): The gun used by Luisto Eusebio Hernandez when he tried to kill his girlfriend’s father was never recovered and is one of a number of weapons still in circulation that are being ‘hired out’ and reused over and over again. During his trial, it emerged that this firearm was also used in two robberies in 2021 and to kill former prison officer Harry Elliott last year.
In his sentencing ruling earlier this week, Justice Roger Chapple raised concerns about how quickly after the row between the two men Hernandez had managed to get a gun, return to the family yard and shoot him.
The judge said this was a reflection of Hernadez’ lifestyle, but it also shows that ‘guns for hire’ remain a problem for local law enforcement. This weapon remains in circulation, but because of its unique ballistic fingerprint, police have now connected it to four known serious crimes.
It appears to have first surfaced in an armed robbery by three men at a barber shop in George Town on 23 June 2021, when a shot was discharged. Three days later, it was used during a home invasion in West Bay, where the homeowner was shot but recovered. No one has been charged in either of these cases.
While it may have been used in other crimes after that, the next time police were able to confirm its use was in the murder of Elliot last April in George Town.
A few days later, Hernandez was able to get his hands on the same gun and use it, as the judge said, with “murderous intent”. The make and model of the gun is unknown, but ballistic evidence suggests it is a .38 calibre handgun. While there was no evidence or suggestion that Hernandez was connected to those other crimes, the judge said it appeared that he knew where to go to get the gun and probably took it back afterwards.
This is the second weapon that has been identified through court cases over the last year to be a ‘gun for hire’. When Roger Davard Bush was tried last summer, it emerged that the 9mm (possibly semi-automatic) handgun he used to kill his son, Shaquille Demario Bush, “in a hail of bullets” in November 2019 was also a weapon for hire that has since disappeared.
That gun was used in nine crimes before it was used in the Bush murder, including two unsolved murders, an attempted murder, robberies and other incidents where guns were fired to threaten or intimidate people. It has also been connected to a number of suspects going as far back as 2011. But police believe that a family member assisted Bush in disposing of the weapon and threw the gun into the sea shortly after the killing.
As Cayman faces yet another spike in violent gun crime and is battling to get all illegal firearms off the streets, Customs and Border Control (CBC) Director Charles Clifford told CNS that the existence of the ‘guns for hire’ reflects the fact that while the illegal arrival of guns in Cayman is a serious and challenging problem, there are far fewer illegal weapons in circulation than the crime spike suggests.
“We still have too many guns on the streets,” he said, noting that most of the guns being smuggled into Cayman and used in crimes are coming on drug canoes. But the fact that people are sharing weapons shows that they are not as common as the public might think.
He said that CBC officers had seen very few firearms coming through the official ports of entry, where they could be hidden in appliances or other legitimate cargo. “If you’re importing illegal guns, you are more likely to choose a drug boat over a controlled point of entry where the packages are scanned,” Clifford said.
At the airport, CBC officers most often turn up ammunition and sometimes guns legally owned by American travellers who accidentally leave bullets in bags or do not understand that they are not allowed to bring a weapon here. But he said every firearm and all ammunition are seized by his officers, and they are working with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to improve the messaging in the US to stop people accidentally bringing in weapons before they leave.
Clifford said the issue of the ‘guns for hire’ is compounded by ‘ghost guns’, which have no serial numbers. These can be harder to trace and are often made up of various random parts. He said that these types of weapons are increasingly common in this region, and law enforcement agencies across the Caribbean are now seizing more of them than guns that were lawfully manufactured.
Police have already seized at least ten guns so far this year, but given the recent spate of robberies, the business of ‘guns for hire’ appears to be thriving.
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Since the Gun has been attached to other crimes and it was used in this crime. I would charge him with all the other crimes which would force him to snitch or do the time.
I’ve seen a video of a gun being picked up right after the crime by a guy on a scooter before the police arrived on the scene.
What the hell good are the guns laws? They are a joke as they are only selectively enforced.
Case in point: The wealthy American who got a mere slap on the wrist after importing into Cayman Brac a firearm and ammunition, and THEN jumping bail and going off island. !!!
That amounts to several violations of our laws: possession of the firearm, possession of the ammo, importation of the firearm, importation of the ammo, failure to declare, violating the terms of his release.
Wonder who got paid off for those several Get Out of Jail cards?
No damn wonder people are losing faith in our system of justice! Justice is a joke here.
Impossible, guns are illegal in the Caymans. Must have washed up on shore….Need more gun laws I guess….
Correction! Need gun laws enforced!! Personally, I would like to see the death penalty for idiots carrying illegal firearms.
Yea, I was joking about more guns laws, the problem is no one enforces what are in the books now…..
How about he stays in prison, and misses all the mango seasons until his sentence is served, plus he explains where the gun came from and went. Until all this is forthcoming, he stays as a full board guest at Northward.
Scum.
So there are multiple people who know exactly where the guns are. The police need to figure out how to find and protect informants. Pretty basic stuff, but not getting done. What do you say, Commish?
The US military used a database with predictive capabilities based upon known associations and family members to track down al quaida members.
I’m sure there must be licenseable software of similar capabilities that would give law enforcement a boost and help capture and lock up the bad guys and girls and their entire criminal support circle.
It’s called microsoft access
Hi, I’d like some further info on this firearm. Specifically:
1. What’s the minimum hire period? Are there hourly rates?
2. Is there a deposit or deductible?
3. Will I be charged a fee if it has to be reloaded when I bring it back?
4. Is there accidental shooting insurance?
Asking for a friend, thanks!
Jeezam Peas!!!
I just wan find a link so I can sell them out for 50k through crime stoppers lol think smarter
So, Tom, Dick and Harry use the same gun for various crimes. Shouldn’t Tom, Dick and Harry get charged for any crime connected to the gun?
The gun is said to have killed Mr. Elliott so why wasn’t or hasn’t Eusabio Hernandez been charged in that murder?
Because they did not find the gun and could not prove he killed Elliot.
Our gun and violent crime laws are not fit for purpose, if they ever were .
Case in point, there is no specific law dealing with running a guns for hire business. Similarly we have no law outlawing organised crime – probably because of who is at the top.
If our legislators actually want to do something about gun crime and the thugs infesting our society then we need legislation designed for the problems we face today rather than laws designed in the 18thC.
Then again, has anyone else noted that not a single criminal kingpin has been convicted of anything in the past 10 years. Has anyone noted that not one of the people who finance the drug trade here has ever been arrested let alone convicted – EVER. Guess who has political connections to make sure that our laws remain ineffective. The only way that will change is if we make it impossible our politicians to continue to ignore us.
This gun belongs to Shaggy! “It wasn’t me!”
When we watch the US news and roll our eyes at their absurd relationship with guns, we should remember where the guns in Cayman, and the rest of the Caribbean, come from. No-one is manufacturing the guns in this region. And the fact that they are so easily accessible just a few hundred miles away in the USA has a direct consequence on life (and death) here in Cayman.
Here’s a suggestion for our MPs. In the USA they have a RICO law which increase the penalty for people convicted under that statute as part of an ongoing criminal enterprise.
Surely, using a gun that has already been used in other crimes makes you part of an ongoing criminal enterprise. He should be sentenced to another ten mango seasons for that.
Just like low budget rental cars, guns are now easy to rent!
Little Kingson/Mo Bay is here!
Genuine question:if someone is definitively linked to one of these guns, and therefore able to be charged with a crime committed using said gun, why are they not also charged with all of the other crimes committed using the same gun?
Because the gun has been rented out to other users – so they didn’t commit the other crimes. You rent the gun, then return it after a day or two, and someone else rents it for the next murder. Just like car rental or hotel rooms. Very common in gun crime in Europe, USA and everywhere.
I’ve seen a video of a gun being picked up right after the crime by a guy on a scooter before the police arrived on the scene.
Exactly. If this guy won’t admit where he got the firearm, the police should charge him with accessory after the fact since he was in possession of a firearm used to commit other murders. He will soon flip then.
They did not find the gun. Any lawyer will get him off that charge.
Because, on it’s own, possession of a weapon previously used in a crime is not enough evidence to prove that the person was involved in that previous crime, and thus secure a conviction for that crime, especially when the actual weapon has not been located.
There would have to be additional evidence to place the person at the crime scene at the time the crime was committed.
Of course, you could still bring charges, but there is a very easy defense to be made if that’s the only evidence presented. And prosecutors tend not to bring cases when there is such an obvious defense that they do not have an answer for, which would enable the accused to avoid conviction.
not that simple. If you were in possession of a stolen vehicle, how would you know what it was used for beforehand? should you be charged with the murders/drive-by shootings/robberies committed in said vehicle? Tough on crime needs to be exactly that, not locking up one and letting everyone go! They need to be doing more raids, stakeouts and intelligence gathering, because the lack of results from our over paid police force is pathetic
Must belong to Buju, or maybe Blacks.
Maybe the drug guys are bringing them in but it’s not the drugs on the street that causes their use.
Legalize ganga and other drugs. Look to Oregon, USA as an example.