A deadly confrontation over an outstanding debt has shattered a Bahamian family, leaving four young children without their father and prompting urgent calls for peaceful conflict resolution after 36-year-old Cedric “CID” Roker was gunned down on a residential road in Nassau over the weekend.
The tragedy unfolded shortly after 4 p.m. Saturday off Carmichael Road, when Roker was driving away from Apostolic Way in a black Honda, accompanied by a second person. According to official police accounts, a suspect driving a white van intentionally blocked Roker’s vehicle, trapping him at the scene, and the two men immediately began clashing over the unpaid money. During the heated argument, authorities say Roker produced a sharp-edged weapon. That is when a third man, who had been standing by observing the fight, stepped in, drew a handgun, and fired at Roker before fleeing the area in a gray vehicle heading south along Apostolic Way.
Roker was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting. Within days, police took the 27-year-old van driver into custody for questioning. As of the latest update, law enforcement officials confirmed the driver is cooperating with the ongoing investigation, and detectives are following up on substantial leads to track down the fugitive gunman.
Speaking publicly on behalf of the grieving family, Roker’s older brother Ronald Roker released a statement Monday emphasizing that no dispute, no matter how serious, justifies the loss of a human life. The killing, he said, has destroyed the fabric of their entire family, stripping four young children of their father and leaving a permanent hole in the lives of everyone who loved Cedric.
“Cedric was far more than just another crime victim,” Ronald Roker emphasized. “He was a devoted father, a loving son, and a man whose life mattered deeply to all of us.” He added that while the entire family is navigating overwhelming grief after losing their beloved relative, they remain committed to pursuing accountability through the formal legal system.
“Our hearts are completely broken, but we stand together as a family in our push to see justice done,” Ronald Roker said. “We will continue to work fully with law enforcement, and we trust that every person responsible for this act will be held accountable under the law.”
The Roker family has joined in condemning the killing as a senseless, avoidable tragedy. The dispute over a debt never should have escalated to deadly violence, they said, and Ronald Roker urged people across the country to turn to open dialogue and peaceful mediation rather than violence when resolving disagreements.
In closing, Ronald Roker extended gratitude to the public for the outpouring of support and compassion the family has received in the wake of the shooting. He asked any person with information about the fleeing gunman’s location to contact authorities immediately, and requested that the community keep the Roker family in their prayers as they navigate this devastating loss.
According to murder tracking data kept by The Tribune, this fatal shooting brings the Bahamas’ total number of homicides to 64 for the current calendar year.