A wave of brutal, unprovoked gun violence shattered three families across The Bahamas over the 2024 Labour Day weekend, leaving grieving relatives searching for answers and justice after three men were killed in separate shooting incidents in New Providence and Grand Bahama.
The first fatal attack unfolded shortly before 9 p.m. Friday in Grand Bahama’s Hunters neighborhood, near a local commercial establishment. Stafford Ferguson, a 44-year-old body repairman, father of four and resident of Freeport’s Caravel Beach community, was shot multiple times as he walked toward his parked 2009 burgundy Chevrolet Impala. He was rushed to a local hospital by emergency responders, but succumbed to his injuries at 11:35 p.m. that same night.
According to police accounts of the shooting, a lone attacker dressed in all dark clothing approached Ferguson unexpectedly, opened fire, then fled on foot to a waiting getaway vehicle driven by an accomplice. Investigators have since taken two 34-year-old men into custody for questioning as they build their case, and the Ferguson family says they are satisfied with the progress law enforcement has made so far, despite being flooded with unconfirmed rumors about the killing.
For the Ferguson family, the loss has been devastating. Khambrel Ferguson, Stafford’s brother, described his sibling as a gentle, hardworking peacemaker who dedicated his life to supporting his four children — two sons and two daughters between the ages of 4 and 21 — and often stepped in to de-escalate conflicts rather than encourage violence. “Stafford was a nice person. He was helpful to people. He was a humble person and never used to bother anyone. To see this situation happen is just shocking because somebody murdered him,” Khambrel told reporters. “We just looking for justice.” He added that the family’s matriarch has been completely overwhelmed by grief following the sudden death of her son, who was also the child of prominent local businessman Max Quant of Noula Investment Ltd.
Ferguson’s killing was only the start of the deadly weekend of violence. Hours later, shortly before 11 p.m. Friday, a second fatal shooting was reported in New Providence’s Eneas Street neighborhood, off Meadow Street. ShotSpotter gunfire detection technology first alerted police to shots fired in the area, and moments later, an anonymous caller reported that an injured man lay unresponsive on the roadway.
Responding officers from the Royal Bahamas Police Force’s Southern Division found the 23-year-old victim, dressed in a white t-shirt and blue jeans, lying in the street with multiple gunshot wounds. Emergency medical teams confirmed he was dead at the scene. One person has been taken into custody in connection with the attack, though the investigation remains ongoing.
Preliminary investigative details show the victim had recently returned to New Providence after taking construction jobs on several of the country’s outlying Family Islands, including projects on Paradise Island, to support his two-year-old daughter. Just minutes before the attack, he had dropped his toddler off with her mother. Friends and family say the killing has come as a crippling blow, coming just one year after the family lost the victim’s grandmother.
In a viral public social media post, the victim’s sister pushed back hard against online speculation that her brother was involved in gang activity or street violence, painting a portrait of a quiet, dedicated young father focused on providing for his little girl. “Our grandmother passed last July, and our sister and I did our best to make sure he did not fall victim to the streets and gangs. They took his life carelessly. He had his baby in his arms when he was shot. He begged for his life. They could have stopped at one when he fell and it jammed,” she wrote. “Instead, they continued to unjam and load on my baby brother. He was working on the cay and just came a couple of days prior to visit family, see his girl and his baby. God protected my niece. She is a toddler. How can you kill so senselessly. My God do people not have a heart anymore? Again, my brother was not a thug or a gangster and was NOT a part of any gang or the streets, that’s why it hurts so much. He was killed out of envy.”
The victim’s godmother also took to Facebook Live to deliver an hour-long public appeal, begging anyone with information about the attack to come forward, even if that means turning in a family member. “You feel it harder because he was doing something,” she said. “He has a baby. You feel it harder because he is somebody’s child. His mother might be deceased, but he still has his older sister. He has his sisters, he has a brother, he has auntie, has uncle, and he have a crazy godmother.”
The third and final fatal shooting of the weekend took place around 1:45 p.m. Sunday on Constitution Drive in New Providence. Police responding to reports of gunfire found a man in his early 30s dead from gunshot wounds at the scene, and two other adult men wounded in their lower legs. According to police, the three victims were gathered at an informal makeshift garage adjacent to their homes when two armed assailants approached the property gate carrying high-powered firearms, opened fire, and fled the area. No suspects have been publicly identified or taken into custody in this shooting as of the latest updates.
Across both islands, the string of unprovoked, deadly attacks has left three families torn apart, all calling for accountability and answers for the senseless violence that cut short the lives of their loved ones.