Former Murder Suspect Shot Dead

Thu, Jul 7th 2011, 10:27 AM

A man who was recently acquitted of a double murder was gunned down early yesterday morning in what police suspect is a revenge killing.  Richard McKinney, 30, of Woods Alley, was tried for the February 5, 2010 shooting deaths of Lashon Davis and Omar Smith on Rupert Dean Lane.

According to head of the Central Detective Unit (CDU) Superintendent Paul Rolle, McKinney was leaving Fourth Quarter Lounge on Nassau Street with a female companion around 3:30 a.m. when two men approached him.  Rolle said McKinney reportedly saw them coming and tried to jump into his vehicle. However, one of the men shot him in his back and side.

Police said the victim was still able to get into his car but collapsed a short time later and ended up driving onto the sidewalk in front of Superwash and Imperial's Takeaway on Nassau Street.  EMS personnel were called to the scene but he was already dead, police said.  The female who was with McKinney was not harmed.

McKinney was acquitted of the double murder on directions from Justice Vera Watkins on April 21.
During the trial, Davis' father, Mervin Davis, identified McKinney as the gunman who killed his son. However, Davis' sister, Vernell Rodgers, offered contradictory evidence when she identified another man known as "Doobus" as the gunman.

In her ruling on the case, Justice Watkins said, "The evidence indicates that the defendant surrendered to the police and that he denied any involvement in the incident of February 5, 2010 when questioned by Sgt. [Kevin] Greenslade."  Justice Watkins ruled that the evidence against McKinney was inherently weak and tenuous.

Police are requesting the public's assistance in locating the men responsible for the murder -- the 68th to occur in The Bahamas so far this year.  Anyone with information regarding McKinney's murder is asked to contact police at 911, 919, the Central Detective Unit at 502-9991, 502-9910 or Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian

 Sponsored Ads