The man who was shot dead early on Thursday was a crucial witness in a violent home invasion case in 2017.
Cain Demetree Thomas, 21, of George Town, was fatally shot multiple times, and his body was found in bushes on the beach some time after 1:30am on a stretch of West Bay Road, near White Sands condos.
Police said multiple shell casings were recovered from the scene.
Thomas is the second person to have been murdered since the start of the year. He was the father of an infant girl.
Thomas was killed three days after former prison officer Harry Elliott, 62, was shot in the head in what police say appears to be a robbery gone wrong at a George Town premises where illegal gambling may have been taking place.
Speaking at his second press conference in three days to address the rising gun crime, Police Commissioner Derek Byrne said of Thomas’s murder, “We believe all the persons involved, the deceased and the suspects, are known to each other; in fact, well known to each other.”
Byrne said initial information suggests that Thomas left the house of a relative sometime after 11pm the night before his body was found, to a pre-arranged meeting with two men.
The identity of those individuals has not been released by police.
A mile up the road, police found Thomas’s green Honda CRV parked in the public beach access, next to Cemetery Beach, across from the West Bay fire station. It has since been seized by police and has undergone a forensic exam.
Former witness in home invasion case
Thomas was released from prison in December last year, after serving a prolonged period behind bars and on an electronic ankle monitor for a 2017 home invasion robbery, during which an elderly couple was tied up, beaten and robbed of jewellery and cash at gunpoint.
Thomas confessed to the crimes in 2018, and became a crucial witness in the Grand Court trial against his co-accused Elmer Wright, who was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
Thomas’s evidence was also instrumental in the conviction of Shane Conner, who is now behind bars awaiting sentence.
When questioned about any possible connection between Thomas’s death and the information he provided during the trial, Commissioner Byrne declined to comment.
“All that I can say on that topic is that he was known to police,” said Byrne, adding that it would be inappropriate to comment further.
Despite Thomas’s death, police say witnesses who have knowledge about his killing have nothing to fear and should still come forward.
“We do have robust systems and mechanisms in place to protect witnesses,” said Detective Superintendent Pete Lansdown. “We can, it has been established, protect witnesses. If people comply with our directions and do what we say, in general, then we can keep people safe.”
Anyone with information about the shooting can call the RCIPS Major Incident Room at 649-2930. Anonymous tips can be provided directly to the RCIPS via the Confidential Tip Line at 949-7777 or through the RCIPS website.
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