Powell 6th fatal shooting of 09

| 30/12/2009

(CNS): The police have now confirmed that the body of the 27-year-old man found shot dead in Sound Way, George Town on Tuesday is that of Fabian Mark Powell of George Town, the sixth young man to die as a result of a gun this year.  Detectives say they are keeping an open mind on the motive for the murder, but have confirmed Powell was in Welly’s Cool Spot Monday evening and are asking anyone who was there to contact them. They have also stated that although no reports were made at the time people have now come forward to say they heard gun shots that night and early Tuesday morning.

In the hours following the discovery of the body, detectives have spoken to dozens of people in the area and carried out a full forensic examination of the scene, the RCIPS said. Part of the scene remains cordoned off and further examinations will continue today.

It has now been established that Powell had spent the early part of Monday night (28 December 2009) within Welly’s. Police said that people have come forward to report that they heard sounds similar to gunshots in the area of Sound Way on Monday night about 10.00pm and around 3.00am on Tuesday morning. Despite the fact that these sounds were heard no reports were made to the RCIPS at the time.

 “We are keeping an open mind about the motive for the murder,” said Detective Chief Inspector Peter Kennett, who is leading the enquiry. “Today my team will continue to actively trace people who were in Welly’s Cool Spot on Monday night to establish the last movements of the victim. If you were in the bar on Monday and you have not already spoken to my officers then please call the incident room.”

DCI Kennett explained that Powell was very well known in the area and police need anyone who saw or spoke to him on Monday night to come forward. “The victim was wearing a white marina sleeveless t-shirt, black faded 3/4 length jean pants with a scroll logo on the back left and black shoes. If you did not know the victim but saw anyone answering this description on Monday night, or in the early hours of Tuesday morning, please get in touch,” he added. “It is concerning that despite the fact people heard what appeared to be gunshots on Monday night/ Tuesday morning no such reports were made to the police at the time. If you were in the area and heard shots or a disturbance then again my officers would be interested in speaking with you as soon as possible.”

Anyone with information can call the murder incident room at George Town police station direct on 244-2924 or Crime Stoppers 800-8477 (TIPS). Welly’s Cool Spot remains open for business.

The formal identification of Powell’s next of kin has not yet taken place as this will be done at the post mortem examination which police said will take place later today (Wednesday 30 December 2009).

Powell ‘s murder follows the fatal shooting of Jerome Russell, Omar Samuels, Marcus Ebanks, Carlo Webster and Fabian Reid. With the exception of the shooting of Samuels in McField Lane in July police have brought no charges in any of the other killings. Two other people were also killed in 2009 and in the case of Sabrina Schirn who’s body was found near East End, Randy Martin, a serving prisoner, is currently on trial for her murder. Earlier this year the crown accepted Paul Gordon’s guilty plea to the manslaughter of Sherman Bodden, aka DJ Jazzy B, and he was sentenced to 11 years.   

See Cayman 27 video

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Category: Headline News

About the Author ()

Comments (29)

Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed

  1. Anonymous says:

    People talk about the bad economy and social conditions being the reason for this rise in gun violence. But it seems the gun violence is criminal on criminal, taking revenge, turf war, showing who is MAN. Even this latest victim was in court accussed of firing at a passing vehicle and was just recently arrested and due to appear in court on other charges. So we know he was no angel. But that doesn’t justfy him being gunned down of course.

    I heard a couple of days ago from a source close to the street that a certain well-known criminal now serving time in Northward and who publicly declared his rehabiliation a few months ago is still "runnin tings" on the outside. Who knows what’s really going down on the rock. Maybe much more than socially deprived young men driven to criminally because of joblessness.

    • Anonymous says:

      i do believe our biggest  problem here in cayman islands is our government not investing in their youths, and if they dont look in to that, trust me they have not seen an bad economie as yet. pretty soon crime will bea only resource for suriving amoung the youths you feel like there is no hope due to the small amount of opportunity we have here in the cayman islands.

  2. Anonymous says:

    I cannot agree more about the public coming forward with any information they may have regarding the crimes now being committed, but, listen well Mr. Police Commissioner.  Some years ago, I went to the Police Station and was interviewed inside a closed office with a police superintendent, to make a report about a certain individual who was blatantly breaking the law.  For the next several weeks, I was under surveillance by the police and the lawbreaker, stopped me on the street in George Town to laugh at me and tell me that He knew I had reported him to the particular superintendent, but I could see that he was still free.

    In those days, if the guns were as prevalent then as now, I could have been shot by the offender for reporting serious crimes to the police.  Well, listen Cayman, I willnever do that again.  If I see something, I quickly turn my head and pretend not to have seen anything. 

    Maybe the general public is afraid of repercussions against themselves or their families and until the police can assure the public in some tangible way that they will be protected, no one wants to take the chance.

    • Anonymous says:

      Well as no one wishes to take that chance then stop all this complaining about the uprise in crime in cayman.

    • Ex Expat says:

      Caymanians are at the heart of the problem, as well as the only solution. 

      The courses of action available are simple:

      1. If you are a Caymanian, either:

          (a) report what you know and help solve the crime problem, or

          (b) don’t report what you know and live with the thriving crime that results.

      2. If you are an expat, leave Cayman for either your home or another off-shore jurisdiction until such time as the problem is solved or you build a life and choose to stay in your new home.

      As an ex-expat, I formed the view that the Cayman government could not fix this and I am now on-shore.  I would be delighted to have been wrong that the problem was beyond remedy. 

      The Cayman judiciary is fine, but the police are ineffective and often corrupt, and the government is both generally ineffective and wholly disinterested in the crime problem (Mac stopping long enough to "ask" the criminals to stop being criminals is the government’s highest form of interest in the disintegration of Cayman).  I don’t see it working out well.

  3. Anonymous says:

    I see there is a lot of back and forth on gun shots vs. fireworks.  Here is my addition to the conversation.  If you find yourself having this conversation, either with a friend or internally "hmmm that sounded different, was that a fire cracker or I wonder if that could have been a gunshot" that’s your instincts telling you that something about this experience is not normal.  That would be the time to call the Police and say "I think I may have heard a gunshot"

    Many posters seem to miss the point.  Its not our responsibility to get it right every time.  It’s our responsibility to do what we can to help the Police solve crime.  So guess what, if we are wrong, then we are wrong, but if we are right, we might just save a life.  Phone it in, stop all the sarcasm about the difference in the sounds, you’re missing the point!

    P.S. I have heard nearly every type of fire-work known to man, I have also heard my share of firearms beign discharged.  There is a difference, and most of us will pick up on the difference.  We now have to ensure that we are not too scared or indifferent to get involved. Peace Out.

  4. Anonymous says:

    "QUESTION"

    Has anyone realeized the strange pattern. robberies to the east,drug seizers to the west, killings in town, "this year though it’s throughout the islands". Car accidents all arround. "Mad" searches for drugs and guns. Pulling people over the day after drinking for a breathe analizer test.  "GOVERNMENT" hiring police AGAIN and yet they still can notsolve the crimes of the past. Unemployment is going higher,more crime will increase sad to say we can no longer rest in our own homes in peace, much less the streets. we can nolonger walk arround this little Island with out fears of be gunned down. Look arround at what we have left,. i Take A deep breathe and Sigh, "what are the people going to do"? how much longer will we stay quiet. Some one must know of these crimes & needs to Come Forward. For every so called Bad man there are thousands more good men and women out there. We need to fight back by speaking up coming forward to fight these crimes commited by cowards. This I Do Agree with. It’s Not About Being A snitch,(What if it were your brother,father sister or cousin who has been killed, you to would want justice to be done.) We see that we can hire fifty thousand police and nothing gets done, not because they are weak, but because the system has failed.

    let’s see smoke a stick of marijuana or get caught with a bag,maybe even a pound. let’s see have a stash or a kilo of cocaine you’ll do ten to fifteen or even longer time in Northward "The Hilton Hotel" 

    NOW, the big picture. Ohhhh Get cuaght with bullets or the gun itself and go to the Hilton for one to two 1/2 year. only to be released to commit murder. you’ll be sent back to the Hilton For a Mere three to five year term.

    How can anyone want to come forward, know that they can probably be next within a few months or years…..? The "QUESTION" when will it change?

  5. Anonymous says:

    I cant believe that the RCIPS expects the Public to distinguish between the sound of fire crackers and gunfire and report it to them.

    Was it any other time of the year that they expected this I might agree, but give me a break. Its Christmas.

    I guess we now need to do what Jamaica and other countries have done and that is to ban the importation of fire crackers at christmas time.

    That way any popping sound can be reported as possible gunfire.

    Seems the criminals will always win when it comes to placing restrictions on civil liberties.

    • Anonymous says:

      actually he didn’t…

    • Anonymous says:

      UDP, what are you doing????????????????????? Remember how quick you were to blame the PPM???? Where are you?????? UDP, what are you doing?????????????? Mr. Bush, areyou home yet????? What are you doing now??????????? Who are you blaming now Mr. Bush???????

      • Anonymous says:

        Read the Premier’s New Year’s message.

        He clearly states "This government is supporting several measures to combat the escalation of crime we have inherited. One such measure will be the installation of closed-circuit cameras, which will assist in the apprehension of criminals. "
         

        He gave no indication of how long he expects his "inheritance" to last.

      • Anonymous says:

        What you have him do???Unless the police are allowed to shoot and killl some of these animals that are ruining our country, we are down the drain.

  6. Anonymous says:

    Condolences to the family, this man had children. my heart goes out to them, may you find peace and strength. my thoughts are with you all.

  7. Patna says:

    Anon Post 11:09 There was such a program being done by the old DTF boss Derek haines and Ch Insp Adrian Seales in conjunction with the careers office and police community relations in the High schools in which young teenage students from various schools were given work experience with the DTF However when the "clique" took over they did away with thesesuch programs as they brought their group of overseas "specialist" top cop scare dem crew. This was seen as a waste of time as they had more important personal business to do.I wonder what the promoted clique going to do now  with this crime situation i guest they will revert to the old mental trick Blame the "white man" not that again now that real old!  Heres to the little clique unfortunately these islands are paying the price for your quest for power eh?

    • Badger says:

      Mr. Patna, who is this "Clique" that you so talk about? Is he/she some policeman or something?
       

  8. Anonymous says:

    This is another situation about much has been said. Of these 6 shootings how many of these murderers have been captured and convicted?

  9. Anonymous says:

    Another crime has taken place.  It is my opinion that many of these crimes are being done by the same people. 

     

    RCIPS please cross all your Ts and dot all your ….so that the guilty will be taken off the streets so that we are safe in this LITTLE island.

     

    Thank you RCIPS for doing a great job in solving this/these crimes.

  10. Anonymous says:

    Imagine the chaos it would create if everyone reported gun shots being fired, only to show up and find out it was fireworks?  Besides, only those that know how a gun shot sounds like, might be able to distiguish the difference between the 2.   🙂

     

    Condolences to the family.

  11. Chanze Bush says:

    FYI "I’m not sure,

     

    There is a big differences between fire cracker and a gun shoot, Gun shoots always have and echo back fire crackers don’t.

  12. Anonymous says:

    Every Caymanian male upon reaching 17years of age, should have to serve 1 year on the police force (fully trained) and exposed to the following key areas of law enforcement:

    Homicide

    Domestic Abuse

    Crimes against Women

    Drugs

     

  13. Anonymous says:

    Amazing that people seem to have become numb to this sort of thing. Or is it that they thought the shots were fireworks ? I can also guarantee that if anyone saw anything they will not talk simply because that area is frequented by shady individuals and we all know what happens in Cayman when someone is labelled an "informer". I hope people have the good sense to come forward, but I doubt it.

    Before the blame game begins, please consider this! The main deterrents to crime are social and economic circumstances and the perception of the local justice system. I feel the latter is most likely the cause for the increased criminal activity we are experiencing here in Cayman. Yes poverty and poor social conditions play a role, but in my estimation, the majority of criminals we deal with have a home to live in, and eat regular meals. They may not have ready cash to blow but they do have the basic necessities of life. The reverse is seen where decent law abiding folks are suffering to a greater degree but still choose to battle on rather than resort to crime.

    The root of the problem is the legal system. Consistent failures by law enforcement to solve the rising number of murders, robberies and other violent crimes are sending the message that the probability of committing a crime and getting away with it are in the favour of the criminal. Additionally, we do not appear to be heaping funds on top of the crime problem, and instead we have been forced to settle law suits and make payouts with cash that would ordinarily go towards investment in crime prevention.

    this is a recipe for disaster. the way of the gun, is now commonplace simply because our criminals have decided that the odds are in their favour. In fact, some of them languish in the belief that it is probably good for "business" to be known locally as a murderer who could not be convicted cleanly.

    If the UDP wants to stifle this rise in crime, the answer is simple. they must invest in proper education, training, resources and tools for the police. similarly, our prosecutors, need to ensure that they bring cases to trial that STICK, change the perception that the justice system here is  joke and you will see the criminals start to think twice. Remember, these guys were here all along! they were not recently imported or manufactured. We see their activities increase as a result of the lax attitude surrounding law enforcement, and prosecution.

    Finally, the police and AG must rid themselves of lazy, incompetent, corrupt, ineffective personnel and invest in high quality individuals who know their sh**.

     

  14. Anonymous says:

    No one reported the gunshots because people normally shoot off fire crackers this time of the year and probably thought it was just that!

  15. Anonymous says:

    Im not sure how anyone is expected to tell the difference between gun shots being fired and all the fireworks this time of year.  Just thought I’d throw that out there.

    • Anonymous says:

      Easy fireworks and gunshots have a distinctive difference in how they sound. A gunshot breaks the sound barrier, so in most cases you will hear a distinctive "crack" that you would not hear with fireworks, almost sounds like a piece of wood being split.. The fireworks on the other hand are bangs and pops. Unfortunately it takes practice to tell the difference and not many of us have been exposed to gun shots.

       

       

      • Pale Rider says:

        Maybe all you ballistic sound experts should volunteer your time to ride around with the RCIP and identify gushots from fireworks…I’m sure that would help them sort out which areas to go and investigate and which ones to ignore.    There are too many of you guys watching TV and movies and listening to "Urban Legends"….

        a gunshot breaks the sound barrier…indeed…