A prominent Bahamian small business owner and family man has been killed in an apparent targeted hit-and-run, just weeks before he was set to take the witness stand against a man he helped arrest for robbing him last year, according to his surviving family.
James McPhee, 59, a husband and father of three, was discovered with life-threatening upper-body lacerations and trauma early Sunday morning. The tragic discovery came just 48 hours after he marked his birthday alongside his twin brother on the Bahamas’ Independence Day, a holiday that coincided with the twins’ birth date.
Law enforcement investigators have confirmed they believe McPhee was intentionally struck by a vehicle. The incident unfolded near the intersection of Spikenard and Carmichael Roads, where two off-duty police officers witnessed a silver Suzuki hit McPhee as he lay on the roadway. Officers launched an immediate high-speed pursuit of the suspect vehicle, which ended in an exchange of gunfire between police and the vehicle’s occupants. One suspect was wounded during the confrontation and taken into custody, while additional occupants managed to flee the scene and remain at large as of the latest updates.
Family members have confirmed that the arrested suspect is the same individual who was accused of robbing McPhee last year. Following the alleged robbery, McPhee — who owned a local heavy equipment and environmental health business — personally subdued the suspect and turned him over to police authorities. The suspect was later released on bail while awaiting trial, which was scheduled to begin later this year with McPhee as the prosecution’s key witness.
John McPhee, James’ identical twin brother, told reporters the family has concluded the killing is directly tied to the upcoming trial, based on information they have received. While the family holds this belief, John added they are willing to wait patiently for law enforcement to conclude their official investigation before drawing any final conclusions.
“From what we understand, the trial was going to get underway very soon, so we do believe there’s a clear connection here — the assailant wanted to eliminate the main witness against him,” John McPhee explained.
John also shared that his nephew, James’ son, had recently raised concerns about his father’s safety amid the pending case. The younger McPhee had urged his father to apply for a concealed weapons permit for personal protection. But according to John, his brother noted that navigating the permit process would be extremely challenging under the current public safety and legal climate in the Bahamas.
It remains unclear exactly when the suspect was released on bail. John McPhee acknowledged that bail is a foundational component of any functional legal system, but warned that the policy carries tangible risks that cannot be ignored.
“People absolutely have a right to be granted bail before trial,” he said. “But it’s clear that access to bail comes with both benefits and risks. For our family, that risk became a devastating reality that cost us my brother’s life at the hands of people who never had any good intentions.”
The murder has left the tight-knit McPhee family shattered, just days after they gathered to celebrate the twins’ 59th birthday. John recalled that he was leaving the Paradise Island area when his older brother called him with the devastating news of James’ death.
Though the twins did not speak every day as adults, they shared an unbreakable bond forged during a difficult childhood growing up in Mayaguana. The pair lost their mother at a young age, and learned to rely on one another while mastering skills like boat navigation from a young age. John described his brother as ambitious, deeply patriotic, and the more outgoing and joyful of the two.
“I always tell people we were born in the year of the revolution, 1967 — the same year The Bahamas won majority rule,” John said. “And we were born on the day that would become the country’s Independence Day. It’s no coincidence that both of us grew up deeply patriotic, with a real love for this country. I often think that he loved The Bahamas more than The Bahamas loved him.”
John recalled a small, endearing quirk his brother had every time he called: James would start singing a familiar childhood tune the second John picked up the phone, a habit he used to reconnect with shared memories of their childhood, boating trips, and the places that shaped them. “He was just that type of person,” John said.
To the entire McPhee family, James was the unoffical matriarch of the family — the person who brought everyone together and earned the affection of every relative. He was also deeply dedicated to his business, constantly talking about plans to invest in and expand his company. James started his career as a welder before working as a firefighter, eventually opening his own heavy equipment and environmental health firm on Carmichael Road.
John shared that James had been looking forward to watching his youngest daughter graduate from school in the coming years. His sons, meanwhile, already grieve the weekly Sunday dinners James cooked for the whole family — cooking was one of his greatest passions outside of work and family.
As the investigation continues, no additional updates on the search for the remaining at-large suspects have been released to the public.