Top Cop Addresses Deadly Weekend of Gun Violence and Katrina Kelly Murder Case

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NASSAU , BAHAMAS –

Shanta Knowles – Commissioner of Police, RBPF

“We have sufficient evidence to support the charges on the three people who went to court last week. And so I want the people of Eleuthera to know that our heart is with the people of our communities, and that we work in good faith.”

Commissioner of Police Shanta Knowles commented on the investigation into the death of 34-year-old Katrina Kelly.

Three people were charged last week, a 43-year-old woman and two men, ages 31 and 34, in connection with her death, despite police not recovering her body.

Knowles would not disclose what evidence investigators uncovered, saying the matter is now before the courts.

She did, however, acknowledge that police were already days behind when the missing person report was made, saying Kelly was last seen on a Tuesday, but police were not notified until that Friday.

Knowles praised investigators for continuing the search, despite that delay.

Shanta Knowles – Commissioner of Police, RBPF

“I want to say thanks to my officers who did not look at the clock but diligently searched for her, searched through bushes, searched through ponds, searched through the sea, hoping that we could recover her.”

The commissioner also addressed the recent gun violence across New Providence.

Several shootings over the weekend left three men dead and others injured, once again putting the flow of illegal firearms into the country under the microscope.

Knowles says the RBPF’s Anti-Gang and Firearms Team is working alongside the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and the Department of Customs to intercept weapons before they reach the streets.

Shanta Knowles – Commissioner of Police, RBPF

“We are definitely working our mandate to ensure that these weapons do not come into our country, and if they happen to come into our country, that we’re able to track them and take them off our streets. Last year we had a major bust where we were able to stop a shipment of 25 weapons and, I think, just over 5,000 rounds of ammunition, and we’re looking for success like that again.”

As part of her mandate, Knowles says she’s also ordered more officers out from behind their desks and onto the streets to further combat crime.

Shanta Knowles – Commissioner of Police, RBPF

“We continue to encourage our officers to patrol, and I’m pleased with the patrols that are happening around New Providence now, uniform patrols. I’ve instructed that all my vehicles, especially at nighttime, they are to patrol with lights so that people in the community would see that the officers are on the streets.”