Police Kill two men in high-speed chase

Royston Jones Jr. Guardian Staff Reporter

Assistant Commissioner of Police Anthony Ferguson speak with the press yesterday morning on the scene where two suspects were killed. Edward Russell 3

Police said they shot and killed two men and arrested two others during a high-speed chase in eastern New Providence early yesterday.

Assistant Comissioner Anthony Ferguson said officers were conducting special operations around 2am when they observed four suspicious looking men in a dark gray Nissan Sedan.

The men reportedly sped away when the officers attempted to stop the vehicle.

Ferguson said a police vehicle purued the car the car through Highbury park, onto Soldier Road, then onto St. Michael Road, where the car then traveled the wrong way up to the intersection at Prince Charles Drive, near the Prince Charles Shopping centre.

According to Ferguson, the car the men were traveling in eventually came to halt as the road is blocked off due to ongoing road works.

At that point, one of the men exited the vehicle brandishing a handgun, which he pointed toward the police, Ferguson told reporters.

He said the officers opened fire on the man, hitting him multiple times.

The driver then attempted to reverse the Nissan into officers, who were closing in on the car, Police said.

Ferguson said the officers determined that their lives were in danger and opened fire on the driver who was also shot multiple times.

Officers on the scene said that another two men who were in the car were arrested, although it was unclear if they were injured as a result of the incident. None of officers involved were injured, Ferguson said..

The bullet-riddled Nissan was still at the scene when The Nassau Guardian arrived. The bodies of the deceased were also still in the street, but were covered.

Ferguson said police recovered a handgun.

Coroner Linda Virgill arrived on the scene a short while later to inspect the bodies.

The men's identities were not confirmed up the press time, however, Ferguson confirmed that they were in their late teens.

When asked if the men were known to police, Ferguson responded: "We cannot say at this time as we are conducting preliminaries on the matter."

Ferguson said police remain vigilant and are determined to remove as many weapons off the streets as possible in order to maintain peace and order.

"As you can see people are just driving about our streets with firearms and you will find moving forward police will continue to target suspected criminals," he said.

"These people who believe they can run up and down the streets [ will not prevent us from] making the Bahamas a safe place to work, visit and play."

Story courtesy of  The Nassau Guardian