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On a normally lively spot famed for Bahamian rhythms and joyful gatherings, sorrow descended as hundreds of community members came together to mourn the 10 lives lost in the Independence Day plane crash off North Andros. The Pond, the local venue that hosted the candlelight vigil, drew roughly 300 attendees Monday night, with crowds spilling outside into the yard as every space inside was filled by grieving relatives, friends and community leaders.

Among the ten victims of the crash were five core members of the beloved Bahamian group Da Pond Band: band frontman Giovanni McKenzie, Rashad Storr, Mateo Winder, Toniquea Gilot and Tra’vis Johnson. The other lives cut short included well-known DJ Melvin Henfield, professionally known as DJ Fresh International, Andros natives Quintin Myers and Macaro Rolle, the plane’s pilot Franklyn Cambridge, and 16-year-old Nicholas Oliver Jr., the youngest victim of the tragedy.

The vigil’s most heart-wrenching moment came during a symbolic final roll call led by prominent Bahamian DJ Rev. Modelled after a pre-departure flight check at San Andros Airport, DJ Rev called each victim’s name one by one, and a representative for the victim stepped forward to light a memorial candle. As echoes of raw grief filled the venue, family members struggled to contain their anguish: some became entirely inconsolable, while others stood rigid, tears streaming down their faces as they clutched their flickering candles. Midway through the roll call, DJ Rev was overcome with emotion and unable to finish calling the remaining names, pausing to compose himself as the community held space for his sorrow.

The evening opened with musical tributes, worship and personal reflections from those closest to the victims. Bahamian artist Nishie L.S delivered an emotional medley of gospel hymns, but was so overcome by grief at the conclusion of her performance that she had to be escorted off stage by attendees who comforted her as she wept. Rev Annamae Hinsey, grandmother of victim Mateo Winder, shared a personal reflection on her grandson’s life, recalling his early love of music and the years they spent together in church, where she taught him to pray. She told the gathered crowd she had previously received a divine vision foreshadowing tragedy, and spent weeks fasting and praying to understand the vision’s meaning, before God revealed the words “accident, sudden death.” She said she begged for God’s protection for her grandchildren, especially Winder, but finds peace in the knowledge that her grandson gave his life to Christ in his final moments.

Singer Meredith Williams paid tribute to Da Pond Band leader Giovanni McKenzie, crediting him with giving her her first public performance opportunity when other industry figures turned her away. She highlighted the band’s unmatched talent and their indelible mark on Bahamian cultural and musical life. Multiple members of the Bahamian Parliament attended the vigil, and Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper delivered remarks on behalf of Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis, urging the grieving community to lean on their faith during this devastating time and extending official condolences to all those impacted by the crash.

Speaking to reporters before the vigil, DJ Rev noted the added layer of loss for the venue’s community: The Pond’s owner hails from Andros, and DJ Rev personally knew all five members of Da Pond Band. He reflected that the band was traveling to Andros to celebrate and share traditional Bahamian rake and scrape music, meaning they died doing what they loved while representing their culture. “These people died happy going to Andros to represent Bahamian culture as it pertains to rake and scrape,” he said. “So the legacy will be even bigger.”

Four months after the fatal shooting of his beloved three-year-old dog sparked national public outrage across The Bahamas, veteran local musician Duke Errol Strachan has once again found reason to smile. The Bahamas Department of Correctional Services has followed through on a public commitment to replace Strachan’s lost companion, gifting him a four-month-old Dutch Shepherd puppy he has named Lassie, along with a full set of supplies to care for the new animal.

“They compensate me. I’m satisfied,” Strachan shared in an interview this week. “She get along very fine.”

The veteran musician has already begun basic training for the energetic young puppy, though he has yet to introduce Lassie to the other dogs that live on his Soldier Road property, keeping her separated in a dedicated kennel during this initial adjustment period. For Strachan, Lassie’s arrival is far more than just the addition of a new companion to his home: it represents the correctional department honoring a promise it made after one of its own officers killed his original dog in March 2024.

The shooting unfolded as a contingent of correctional officers marched along Soldier Road at the conclusion of a funeral procession for retired correctional officer Andrew Sears. Strachan’s dog was fully contained on his own private property when an officer opened fire on the animal, a decision that immediately triggered widespread public condemnation and widespread calls for official accountability for the unnecessary killing.

Days after the incident, then National Security Minister Wayne Munroe announced that an internal investigation had found no breach of department policy by the involved officer. The controversial clearing of the officer meant no disciplinary action would be taken, despite fierce public backlash over the outcome.

Beyond the puppy itself, the department provided Strachan with a sturdy new cage, complete official vaccination records, and a monetary cheque to cover future care costs for Lassie. Even as he welcomes his new companion, Strachan says the memories of his original dog remain vivid and meaningful to him.

“It’s a different situation, totally different,” he explained. “It was mixed with hot cake. This one is purebred, but it was a good dog.” While Lassie can never truly replace the dog he lost, Strachan notes that the young puppy has already begun to build her own special place in his daily life and heart.

Correction Sergeant Vanrea Armaly-Smith, second-in-command of the department’s K-9 Unit, shared that the entire correctional services team was relieved to see Strachan moving forward and happy again after months of controversy stemming from the March shooting.

“I was really excited because we finally can get behind this negative situation,” Armaly-Smith said. “The incident that happened prior in March brought us a little closer. He was happy, and we were happy that we could be able to make him smile again in reference to the loss of his dog.”

Strachan had initially requested a German Shepherd puppy, but the department offered him a Dutch Shepherd puppy from its own K-9 breeding program instead, a breed Armaly-Smith described as notably energetic. All the puppy’s required vaccinations are complete, and no additional routine medical care is needed at this time, she confirmed.

“We presented him with a cage and a vaccination card for the dog,” Armaly-Smith said. “Basically, the dog will not need any medical attention unless she’s sick. She’s fully vaccinated.” The sergeant also added that Lassie has already impressed handlers by mastering basic obedience commands at just four months old.

The tight-knit Bahamian music scene is engulfed in grief after a devastating plane crash last week took the lives of ten people on board, including five core members of the popular local group Da Pond. For Khreasel Glinton, a 35-year-old Bahamian musician, the tragedy brings an unfathomable double loss: her long-term partner and soulmate Rashad Storr, and four other band members she had grown to love as chosen family.

Storr, 35, and his Da Pond bandmates were traveling to North Andros on a Friday afternoon for a scheduled performance at a local regatta. The short flight, operated by Flamingo Air, was projected to take less than 20 minutes to reach the destination near San Andros Airport. Instead, the aircraft went down shortly before landing, leaving no survivors among the ten passengers and crew.

Glinton, who had built a five-year relationship with Storr centered on their shared love of music, opened up about the overwhelming waves of sorrow that have consumed her in the days since the crash. “It is heavy on the mind, because sometimes I don’t even know who I might be crying for or who I might be screaming for,” she shared in an interview. “When it comes on me, all I could do is cry.”

The couple shared a life intertwined both on and off stage: Glinton often performed as a fill-in singer for Da Pond, gradually building deep, lasting bonds with every member of the group. The pair had weathered personal challenges together, shared a vision of marrying and starting a family, and saw each other as each other’s closest confidants. “He was my best friend. I didn’t want to be anywhere else. He didn’t want to be anywhere else. It was just us two in our own little world,” Glinton said. She remembered Storr as a kind, patient partner who dedicated himself to making her happy, and had long held onto the hope that they would spend their lives together.

The morning of the crash was just another ordinary day for the couple, who were heading to separate performance engagements. Glinton was bound for the Turks and Caicos Islands with the Da Rhythm Band, while Storr traveled with Da Pond to North Andros. Storr dropped Glinton at her airport terminal before heading to catch his own flight, and the pair continued to exchange playful text messages after Glinton landed in Turks and Caicos.

Glinton recalled joking with Storr about her pilot’s bumpy handling of the InterCaribbean Airways flight, with Storr teasing back that the pilot was just navigating air pockets. That lighthearted exchange was the last communication they would share. Before Da Pond boarded their flight, Storr messaged Glinton one final time, and Glinton asked him to text her when the group landed. She never got that message.

When a mutual friend first shared news of the crash with Glinton, she refused to believe it. Desperate to confirm the report was false, she reached out to a Da Pond singer who had traveled to Andros on an earlier flight. As calls flooded in from friends and community members checking if Glinton had been on the doomed flight, her band director eventually confirmed the devastating truth that Storr and his bandmates had not survived. Even after seeing video footage of the crash site, Glinton said the loss still feels impossible to process. “It still felt so unreal, and then they started sending like videos of the crash, and I’m just like, this can’t be happening. I just looked at him this morning. I just kissed him this morning,” she said, holding back tears.

Glinton returned to her home in New Providence on Sunday, supported by her fellow band members as she struggled through overwhelming anxiety during the flight. In the days since her return, she has not been able to bring herself to step into the apartment she once shared with Storr. She has also canceled multiple upcoming performances, as any connection to music now brings immediate, painful memories of the five Da Pond members lost in the crash.

Alongside Storr, the crash claimed the lives of Da Pond members Giovanni McKenzie, Mateo Winder, Toniquea Gilot and Tra’vis Johnson. Glinton shared tender memories of each band member: McKenzie was one of her earliest and most loyal supporters when she launched her music career; Winder stepped into a big brother role, always offering guidance when she needed it; Johnson was remembered for his magnetic personality and one-of-a-kind captivating voice. The memory of Gilot brought fresh tears to Glinton, who recalled the singer’s beautiful voice and warm spirit, and shared that Gilont had reached out to her just moments before the doomed flight to request a song recording. “The last thing she said to me was that she appreciate me,” Glinton said, her voice breaking with grief.

The tragedy has left a permanent hole in the Bahamian music community, as friends, fans and fellow artists mourn the loss of five talented creators taken far too soon.

Weeks after a brutal stabbing attack left her fighting for life, a beloved 61-year-old primary school educator has succumbed to her injuries in a Bahamian hospital, leaving her family, students, and the entire local education community in mourning.

Jillian Pinder, a devoted wife and mother of one, had remained in critical condition in intensive care since the assault unfolded on June 4. Law enforcement officials confirmed that, shortly after the attack, Pinder was able to identify her two attackers to investigators: two men connected to a debt owed by someone close to Pinder. According to initial police reports, the pair stabbed Pinder in the throat before fleeing the scene of the attack immediately. After more than five weeks of medical treatment, Pinder passed away in hospital care on Monday, local newspaper The Tribune has confirmed.

Pinder’s older sister, Judith Rahming, opened up about her overwhelming grief in a public Facebook post over the weekend, asking the broader Bahamian community to hold her family in their thoughts and prayers during the devastating ordeal. “This doesn’t feel real. It doesn’t feel fair. I keep hoping I’ll wake up and find out this was all a terrible nightmare. The silence you left behind is deafening and our hearts are shattered,” Rahming wrote. She shared that her sister’s impact on her life and the lives of everyone who knew her could not be put into words, adding that Pinder’s memory would remain a permanent, cherished part of their family forever. Rahming also made a public plea for justice, calling for clarity and accountability in the investigation into her sister’s attack. “Lord, we are asking You for justice. We pray that You would reveal everything hidden in darkness. Give investigators, our family, or someone out there a sign – something that leads to the truth and to the person responsible,” she said.

Pinder’s death has sent ripples of grief through the school community where she spent decades working. Sheniqua Curry, principal of TG Glover Primary School, where Pinder taught, remembered the late educator as a consistently dedicated, warm-hearted professional who prioritized her students above all else.

Bahamas Education Minister Chester Cooper also released a statement mourning Pinder’s passing, emphasizing that her loss will leave a lasting gap across the country’s entire education sector. “Mrs Pinder dedicated her life to shaping young minds and serving our nation through education. Her loss is deeply felt, not only by those who knew and loved her but by our entire educational community,” Cooper said.

According to unofficial murder count tracking maintained by The Tribune, Pinder’s death marks the 40th homicide recorded in the Bahamas so far this year, bringing renewed attention to the country’s ongoing challenges with violent crime.

A growing rift has emerged over LGBTQ+ safety and justice in The Bahamas, as prominent gay rights advocate Alexis DeMarco is pushing urgently for dedicated hate crime legislation, linking a series of recent and decades-old unsolved killings of presumed LGBTQ+ community members to systemic bias and gaps in the country’s legal framework. The push has been met with outright rejection from Attorney General Wayne Munroe, who maintains existing laws are sufficient and says no evidence has been presented to prove any murders in the nation have been driven by anti-LGBTQ+ prejudice.

DeMarco’s call for reform centers on two high-profile fatalities recorded so far this year. The most recent came in mid-July, when the body of a 63-year-old man was discovered inside a burning duplex in Nassau Village’s Lee Street. First responders entered the structure shortly after 2 a.m. responding to reports of the fire and found the man unresponsive near the front entrance; subsequent investigation revealed he had suffered multiple stab wounds, prompting a homicide inquiry and an ordered autopsy to confirm the official cause of death. The second case dates back to January 14, when a 38-year-old man was found stabbed to death in his Daffodil Avenue residence after a concerned colleague requested a welfare check when they could not reach him. Authorities confirmed the victim sustained stab wounds to his upper body, noting the killing came almost three years after he survived a non-fatal shooting that led to an attempted murder and firearms charge against another suspect. To date, police have not announced any confirmed motive for either killing, nor ruled that either death qualifies as a hate crime – a reality DeMarco argues is part of the problem.

Without formal legislation that explicitly recognizes bias-motivated offenses, DeMarco argues, law enforcement and justice system officials lack the structure to properly identify, track, and prosecute hate-fueled violence targeting marginalized groups. For years, she says, LGBTQ+ Bahamians have harbored deep-seated fears that violence against their community members is not investigated or prosecuted with the same urgency or gravity as violence against cisgender, heterosexual people.

“When perpetrators of violence against LGBTQ+ people walk away with convictions for far lesser offenses instead of facing murder charges, our community is left wondering whether embedded prejudice and harmful stereotypes continue to shape how justice is pursued,” DeMarco explained.

She pointed to a decades-old landmark case to back up her concerns: the 2010 prosecution of Latherio Jones, who initially faced a murder charge for fatally shooting Trevor Wilson, but ultimately was convicted of the lesser offense of manslaughter on grounds of provocation. The court heard during the trial that Wilson had made repeated same-sex advances toward Jones. Prosecutors with the Crown appealed the verdict, arguing the sentence was unduly lenient, noting that Jones had armed himself, traveled to Wilson’s room, and shot him in the head following what prosecutors described as a second advance. The Court of Appeal ultimately dismissed the appeal and upheld the manslaughter conviction. Delivering the court’s oral ruling, then-president Dame Joan Sawyer stated that “One is entitled to use whatever force is necessary to prevent oneself being the victim of a homosexual act.”

DeMarco stressed that this ruling, paired with the legal defense widely known internationally as the “gay panic” defense, has amplified community fears that violence against LGBTQ+ people can be minimized or even justified through bias and harmful stereotypes.

Beyond the two 2024 cases, DeMarco also highlighted a long list of unsolved killings dating back more than two decades that targeted people believed to be part of the Bahamas’ LGBTQ+ community. The list includes: police officer Kevin Williams, killed in 2001; lecturer Thaddeus McDonald and celebrated fashion designer Harl Taylor, both killed in 2007; HIV/AIDS activist Wellington Solomon Adderley, Jamaican waiter Marvin Wilson and dancer Paul Whylly, killed in 2008; photographer Sharvado Simmons in 2011; and waiter Elkin Moss in 2013. None of these cases have resulted in convictions, leaving families and community members without closure.

In response to DeMarco’s demands, Attorney General Munroe pushed back firmly during a public statement this week, arguing that a separate, standalone hate crime legal framework is unnecessary to protect LGBTQ+ Bahamians. He emphasized that existing homicide laws apply equally to all victims, regardless of their identity or sexual orientation. “From all of the briefings I got, I didn’t get anything that appeared hate crime related,” Munroe said.

He further explained that murder charges are only reduced to manslaughter in cases where established legal principles impact an accused person’s criminal liability, most commonly in instances involving diminished mental responsibility. To illustrate his point, he cited a past case he handled where a woman who set her abuser on fire, an intentional killing that was reduced to manslaughter due to long-term mental abuse in an intimate partner violence context. “Murders that get reduced to manslaughter are generally if you have anything that has a mental element,” he said.

Munroe added that throughout his entire career working at the Bar, he has never encountered a murder he believed was motivated by hatred of a person’s sexual orientation or race. “I have not heard in all of my time at the bar of any hate crime-related murder where somebody is murdered because they are gay or because they are black,” he said. “I’ve not. I’ve seen a lot of personal, intimate partner violence. But the intimate partner violence has nothing to do with your sexual orientation or your sexual preference. It has everything to do with the nature of the interpersonal relationship.”

For DeMarco and other LGBTQ+ advocates, however, the string of unsolved deaths and the history of lenient rulings in anti-LGBTQ+ violence cases makes clear that change is long overdue. The disagreement highlights a broader ongoing debate over equal justice for marginalized communities in the Caribbean nation, with advocates warning that without formal legal recognition of hate crimes, bias-motivated violence will continue to go unaddressed.