Former Bahamas MP Donald Saunders killed during armed robbery

The Bahamas have been rocked by the sudden death of the Former Deputy Speaker and Member of Parliament, Donald Saunders, who lost his life during an armed robbery, becoming the nation’s 35th homicide victim in the process.

Saunders began his career as an attorney, before transitioning into politics and becoming the Member of Parliament for Tall Pines, as well as the Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly from 2017 till 2021.

According to the Police, the incident occurred at 9:15 pm, when Saunders was outside a club in Gambier Heights, western New Providence. Two armed robbers approached him and other patrons, asking them for cash.

Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander, issued a statement which delineates the details of the preliminary investigation, “There were about five to six patrons sitting out in the yard when two armed men, both were masked, held all of the patrons at bay and demanded cash. The patrons, they panicked and everybody ran in different directions.”

“Shots were fired. After a short while, the patrons who ran to the front realised that one of the adult males was not seen and when they came back to check they met the lifeless body of an adult male lying face down.”

The commissioner also stated that according to the information gathered by the police, Saunders wasn’t specifically targeted by the assailants.

He asked residents of Gambier Heights to assist the police in the investigation, highlighting the fact that the area is home to a close-knit community which enjoys a peaceful existence and must stand in solidarity with Saunders and his family in the face of such senseless violence.

The incident has put crime in the Bahamas under a spot light and the police is making every attempt to resolve this case to the best of their abilities, while also taking steps to make sure that criminal activity in the Bahamas can be curbed in general.

The death of Saunders has come as a shock, not just to the community but the nation on the whole. Questions have been raised about the safety of the average citizen, considering the fact that a former MP is not safe. Naturally, the authorities now have the difficult task of assuaging these doubts and showing citizens that they have a handle on the law-and-order situation in the nation.