Off-duty Bahamas police officer faces murder charge in fatal shooting of US utility worker 

Bahamas: An off-duty police officer of the Royal Bahamas Police Force has been officially charged with murder following the fatal shooting of an American utility worker while investigators are continuing to review CCTV footage to piece together the events which led to the incident.

The incident took place on Saturday, March 21 and since then there has been intense public scrutiny surrounding it with locals questioning the circumstances that led the officer to shoot the worker.

The development of official murder charges which were confirmed on Wednesday last week was outlined in a statement from US Ambassador to The Bahamas Herschel Walker who reportedly said that he was somehow pleased that authorities in the island nation had moved swiftly in the case. The US Embassy further disclosed that help from the Federal Bureau of Investigation has been offered to support the ongoing investigation into the tragic incident.

Reports claim that the victim was aged 31 and he has been identified as Cody Castillo, an American Pike Electricity worker, and he was involved in an altercation with the off-duty officer at a restaurant which is located along West Bay Street. Notably, Pike Electricity is among the companies that are engaged in infrastructure upgrades with BPL – Bahamas Power and Light.

Eyewitnesses report that Castillo later exited the establishment and entered his car at which point he was being followed by the police officer who has been identified as Sgt. Berneil Pinder. Furthermore, reports claim that the vehicle was being driven in a manner that is perceived as threatening before shots were fired by the officer resulting in the death of the victim.

Talking about the development, Minister of National Security Wayne Munroe indicated that police officials had launched a full investigation into the circumstances which led to the shooting. The US Embassy on Monday stated that it was closely following the matter and also expressed their concerns regarding reported that the unarmed victim was followed before he was shot dead. It also urged the government to ensure justice is delivered “without delay.”