(CNS): Police have now confirmed that the victim in last Thursday’s fatal shooting at Vic’s Bar was Wayne Eron McLean (26) from Bodden Town. He is the second person to die in a recent spike of gun violence that has also seen around a dozen people injured. Mark Andre Ebanks (36) was killed in Martin Drive on 1 July and Cayman Crimestoppers is now offering up to $50,000 for information leading to a conviction in either case.
Police said Monday that two other victims from the incident remain in hospital, and the man who was in critical condition in the immediate wake of the killing is recovering from what are now considered serious but non-life-threatening wounds. One woman is also being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Detectives investigating these two murders are appealing to anyone who may have been at Vic’s Bar at about 1:45am on Friday morning to come forward.
“We often can establish what happened at the scene of a major crime and can arrest individuals we believe to be involved, but without evidence and witness statements we cannot charge individuals or prove cases,” said Detective Superintendent Peter Lansdown. “This is why it’s vital we receive the community’s support. Victim and witness statements are the main requirement of a successful prosecution. We strongly urge anyone who has any information, no matter how seemingly minor, to speak up, and not assume that someone else will,”
He pointed out that even the smallest detail could be the key that allows police to identify those involved, prosecute them, and remove them from the streets.
“There are multiple ways to submit information, and there are measures that can be put in place to ensure the safety of anyone who comes forward,” he said. “It is only with your help that we can ensure that we keep our communities safe.”
Although the RCIPS had revealed earlier this year that it was no longer working with Crimestoppers, that relationship has resumed and Lansdown said that people could submit tips anonymously through the Crimestoppers website but not by calling, as the number has been disbanded.
Cayman Crimestopper Board Chairman Sebastien Guilbard said that anyone with information about these crimes can leave a tip on the Cayman Crimestoppers website, which is monitored through a Miami-Based centre, and could earn the CI$50,000 reward.
“This can be done without giving a name or any identification, and an auto-generated number will be the only reference provided in the event of a reward being issued,” he explained.
However, historically such rewards have rarely made a difference in crime investigations in Cayman. Earlier this year the police revealed that tips to Crimestoppers had fallen off to almost zero, and only one tip was received in the whole of 2020.
Anonymous tips can be provided directly to the RCIPS via the Confidential Tip Line at 949-7777
or via the RCIPS website.Tips can also be submitted anonymously online via the Miami-based Cayman Crimestoppers.
