As ZNS employees were yesterday observing the 80th anniversary of Radio Bahamas, news arrived of the murder of one of their own: Scott Richards, a long-time gospel deejay, who had only recently ended his graveyard shift and had planned to return last night for the celebrations.

Stunned by the crime, distraught members of the ZNS news team wept as they arrived at Bonefish Pond, off Cowpen Road, where Richards' body was being taken away.

He was shot multiple times, police said. Officers from the Carmichael Police Station, who were on patrol, noticed an empty gray dodge Durango jeep at around 9:55 a.m.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Leon Bethell said based on suspicion, officers searched the area and the body was discovered over 100 feet from the jeep. Struggling to process the news, Vaughn Miller, who heads the ZNS radio department, borrowed a line from Thomas Paine's famous essay during the American Revolution: "These are the times that try the souls of men."

"It is shocking, devastating, unbelievable," said Miller, who hours earlier signed off on Richards' evaluation.

"He was in a very good mood, not a care in the world, so to speak, looking forward to coming back to be a part of the celebrations, and then you hear this. So for me, it's been just devastating."

Richards, 48, started at the corporation in 2001 and left in 2010 during a downsizing exercise. He returned to work at ZNS in 2012, Miller said.

He said Richards' death placed a cloud over the anniversary celebrations. "For me it's like the excitement just dissipated almost instantly," Miller said.

"A day that should have been an exciting one when you reflect over the years and speak of the good times, the progress, the regrets or whatever, I could not even speak on Darold Miller's show.

"I was unable to contain myself. It's just a numbing experience. You know what today is about, but you're just there. All of the thrill, the excitement is gone. A part of it too is the manner in which it happened -- this was a violent, brutal, ugly death.

"It's another young man of African descent snatched away like his life had no meaning, like it had no value." Like Miller, Richards is an Eleuthera native, so Miller said he knew him outside of ZNS. He said he has been in contact with Richards' family. "They are absolutely, totally, completely devastated," Miller told The Nassau Guardian.

"He was never a rabble rouser of troublemaker. This is someone who you would not expect to die in this manner because he just never bothered anyone." Deon Morris, one of the Radio Bahamas supervisors, also described Richards as "a very quiet, unassuming person" who was dedicated to his work.

"Whenever you needed him, he was always there," Morris recalled. "He was very much [liked]." Morris said he asked Richards to put water in his coffee cup yesterday because he (Morris) was about to go on air. "I don't usually ask people to do that, but I asked him," he said.

Morris noted that the one year anniversary of ZNS announcer Don Juan's death passed only recently, and the staff is still deeply saddened by his passing. Both Don Juan and Richards worked the 'Music 'til dawn' shift. Richards' murder is the 49th in The Bahamas this year.

There were 146 murders recorded in 2015, the highest in recorded Bahamian history.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian