Family Faces Back-to-Back Tragedies After Cousins Killed by Gun Violence

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NASSAU , BAHAMAS – A family already mourning the loss of a loved one on Independence Day is now facing heartbreak all over again after another relative was gunned down just one week later.

The Miller family is once again preparing to say goodbye after losing two relatives to gun violence in the space of just one week.

Over the weekend, 40-year-old Omar Miller Sr. was shot and killed outside his Cowpen Road residence.

Police say Miller was sitting inside a vehicle on Saturday when a white SUV pulled up, and a gunman opened fire, shooting him multiple times before speeding away.

In September 2023, the Royal Bahamas Police Force issued a wanted flyer in connection with a murder investigation.

However, police have not indicated whether that previous investigation has any connection to his killing.

While at the morgue we spoke with an aunt of both victims.

She says despite his past, her family chooses to remember the man they knew.

Aunt of Victims

“Omar was a very quiet, reserved person. If he was your friend, he was your friend. If he wasn’t for you, then you wouldn’t find him hanging around. Around the family, he was very quiet and liked to crack jokes. At every family function, you would find him there, just cracking jokes. He was also someone who loved motorcycles, so you would find him riding almost every day.”

Following his death, relatives say they are left trying to understand why their family has been hit by tragedy twice in such a short time.

Just days earlier, they lost another member of their family, Delano Miller, who was also gunned down on Independence Day.

They describe both losses as devastating, saying they are leaning on their faith and the support of the community to help them through the difficult days ahead.

Aunt of Victims

“It is overwhelming when you’ve lost two loved ones in the space of a week. It’s overwhelming. We want people to continue to pray for us, and pray for our country, because definitely something has gone wrong. We’ve gone away from morals, and we’ve gone away from being our brother’s keeper.”

As they continue to grapple with back-to-back losses, they believe far too many families are being torn apart by gun violence and are urging those responsible to choose a different path.

Aunt of Victims

“I would say, turn yourselves in. I would also say that vengeance is God’s. At the end of the day, put down the guns. Let’s go back to the time when we could sit and talk about it.”