TWO HIT-AND-RUNS AND A SUSPICIOUS DEATH

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

A SWIMMER died after he was hit by a jet ski driver on Saturday.

Police said the 49-yearold victim was swimming near the shoreline at a beach on Paradise Island when he was struck by a man operating a jet ski. The victim suffered serious head trauma and later died.

The suspect fled the scene, however, police are said to be following significant leads.

Meanwhile, an Abaco pedestrian died after a hitand-run on Friday.

Shortly after 11pm in Marsh Harbour, the pedestrian was in the area of Candyman Bar and Restaurant when he was hit by a dark Nissan Note, which fled the scene. Paramedics visited the scene and found no vital signs of life.

Police have not released the identity of either victim. However, a loved one of the Abaco victims expressed outrage about his death on Facebook.

“Wow, wow, my grandson father was knock down and kill last night and the driver didn’t even stop. Reds was an awesome father, a loving and kind person to all [who] know him. These are some dangerous people living amongst us and I know that someone see and know who it is but they will say nothing but God knows and sees it all (sic),” the person wrote.

Police also reported a suspicious death of a Bimini man.

The deceased was found in waters near Alice Town, Bimini, shortly after 7am on Friday.

Police said a visitor on board a vessel docked near Bimini Bay discovered the man’s body partially submerged in the water and alerted officers.

The man’s lifeless body was retrieved from the water and taken to a local clinic where a medical officer pronounced him dead.

The body will be flown to New Providence for an autopsy to determine an official cause of death.

Francis, Loftus Roker and myself, George A Smith, were the last remaining.

“And it is seen in a photograph that is often published in the supplements leading up to independence, where Sir Lynden … and Arthur Hanna on his right, who was the then deputy prime minister, signing the instrument, the same instrument that the FNM delegation had signed and the other PLPs who were in the delegation had signed.

“I had signed. Carlton Francis had signed. Loftus Roker had signed. Paul Adderley had signed and AD (Hanna) had signed.

The last person to sign was Sir Lynden Pindling and that signing was the last act that had to happen.”

He added: “Now, later on, after we returned to Nassau in late December, Arthur Hanna and Paul Adderley went back to London to meet with the people who were drafting the constitution. So, it is wrong to say that the FNM delegation left in advance of the talks’ completion because they signed on the signature page and so did the rest of us.”

“Now, some of them left London in advance before the six of us. That could be true, but it didn’t mean that they left the conference because they had to fix their signatures as did the others to authorise the British to proceed to independence.

“So, to suggest that the FNM left in advance of the completion of the work, that would not be true, and I was there at all material times, in the campaign before election, in the election campaign, making paper the green paper and all of the other documents that we had assembled to share with the Bahamian people and at the debate at the House of Assembly.”

Last week, Mr Davis told Parliament: “The FNM was on the side and they were arguing no to independence. That’s the point he made now, after the people rejected the view of the FNM.

“Right, and then the issue of the constitutional conference came up. It was only right for the opposition to have their say in the crafting of the constitution.”

Mr Davis added: “They left; Christmas was coming. They signed off and said ‘Sir Lynden whatever y’all say’... And they came back home, that’s all part of the record.”