A man suspected of murdering Divonte Hernandez has been arrested by police and remains in custody, as officers continue to appeal for witnesses to come forward.
Details of the arrest came one week to the day of Hernandez’s brutal broad daylight murder, on 29 Sept., in the vicinity of Shedden Road and Sound Way, George Town.
“The arrest is a positive result, one that we hope provides some reassurance not only to the grieving family of the victim, but also the public,” said Detective Superintendent Peter Lansdown, in a press release issued by police on Friday, 6 Oct.
A 24 year-old George Town man was arrested Thursday night, according to the release.
“We believe one person was responsible for shooting the victim, but somebody else was driving the car,” said Lansdown, who did not say which of the two suspects was in custody.
He added, “[I]t is vital we locate and apprehend the second man involved in this tragic incident. The culprit is likely in hiding, which means that members of the community are aiding them to evade the police – this in itself is a crime. If anyone knows anything to do with this incident, and hasn’t yet gotten in touch with the police, now is the time to step up, and do the right thing”.
Although officers have one person in custody, a successful prosecution will depend on the strength of the evidence they are able to glean from the public.
An appeal for witnesses
On Friday morning, Lansdown, together with plainclothes detectives and uniformed officers, combed through the Shedden Road, Eastern Avenue and Sound Way intersection handing out fliers to motorists, cyclists and pedestrians, with the hopes of finding someone who might have information about the minutes leading up to, during and/or after the shooting.
He said they were “trying to attract people that are passing by” who would have been there last week.
Police say the motive behind the grisly killing is still unknown, but officers do believe Hernandez was the target of the deliberate strike.
The get-away car used by the killers, a beige-grey coloured Honda Fit, was seized by officers who discovered that the rented vehicle had a fake licence plate, and excessively dark tint.
“I’m confident that that tint was applied to evade officers, so I’m going to advise my officers to trying and prosecute people for illegal tint,” Lansdown told the Compass while on the scene. Five minutes, later a black sedan with no licence plate and dark tinted windows was flagged by police.
Hernandez’s death was worsened by the news that he was assisting his 2-year-old daughter when the gunman approached him from behind and opened fire.
“Every murder is unacceptable, this one was particularly nasty in so much that his child was sitting on floor in the vicinity at the time,” Lansdown told the Compass. “I will stress she was not in the line of fire, and to the public this was a targeted attack.
“As a member of the public going about your normal everyday lawful business you will not be harmed… Cayman is still a safe place,” he added.
Anyone with information about the killing is encouraged to contact the RCIPS Major Incident Room at 649 2930.
Related Videos
Good to hear the police are going to pursue illegal tinting, not only can robbers roll up outside a bank or store, undetected , but all illegal tinters are free to use their phones whist driving.