Police at the scene of the shooting in Pembroke. (Photograph courtesy of Bermuda Police Service)
HAMILTON, Bermuda--A grief support charity expressed alarm that victim of gun crimes are “becoming younger and younger” following a double shooting last night.
The Gina Spence Programme said it was saddened after two males, aged 15 and 16, sustained injuries from the Pembroke incident.
Spence told “The Royal Gazette” that “the fact that these victims are of high-school age makes this especially heartbreaking”.
She added: “We cannot become desensitised to children carrying the burden of trauma and grief.”
The Bermuda Police Service said officers were notified that the teenagers attended King Edward VII Memorial Hospital shortly before 10.25pm seeking treatment for non life-threatening gunshot wounds.
In a witness appeal, authorities said while the exact location and time of the shooting remained unclear, information suggested shots may have been fired in the area of Langton Hill and St John’s Road sometime between 9pm and 10pm.
The suspects are described as two males wearing dark-coloured helmets and clothing, travelling on a motorcycle.
Today officers conducted checks in the areas of St. John’s Road, Langton Hill, Mount Hill as well as St Monica’s Road, The Glebe Road and other nearby locations in Pembroke.
Police urged residents of those areas who may have Ring or other CCTV devices to check whether they may have captured images of the persons fitting the descriptions, or any suspicious activity around the time of the shooting.
Anyone with potential information is asked to contact Acting Detective Inspector, Anneka Donawa on 717-2250, or via e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Witnesses were also encouraged to call the 211, the main police number 295-0011 or the independent and confidential Crime Stoppers number, 800-8477.
Members of the public can also report the incident at portal.police.bm or speak to an officer they know.
Spence, whose charity works closely with people dealing with the effect of violent crime, said that while she was grateful the victims are expected to recover physically, surviving a shooting was often only the beginning.
She added: “The emotional wounds of the loss of safety, innocence and peace can remain long after the physical injuries have healed. There is often a level of fear that the survivor carries silently.
“What is perhaps most alarming is that our victims are becoming younger and younger.”
Spence said the charity viewed gun violence not solely as a crime issue, but also one of grief and trauma.
“Healing is prevention, and if we truly want safer communities, we must invest as intentionally in healing hearts as we do in responding to violence and the hearts that are broken,” she said.
She said for more than 35 years, the Gina Spence Programme has stood alongside grieving families and communities in the aftermath of violence.
Spence said: “We have walked with schools, sports clubs, coaches, faith leaders and neighbourhoods as they struggled to support those whose lives have been for ever changed.
“We know that when one young person is shot, the grief is never confined to one family. It ripples through an entire community.
“Our prayers are with these young men, their families and everyone impacted.
“No heart should grieve alone, and together we must do more to ensure our children grow up with hope instead of fear.”
Jarion Richardson, the Shadow Minister of National Security, said the party was left “deeply troubled” that two teenagers had suffered wounds.
He added: “We are relieved that their injuries are reported to be non-life-threatening, and our thoughts are with them and their families.
“No child should be exposed to this level of violence.”
Richardson said the incident reinforced “the urgent need” for a sustained response that combines intelligence-led policing and firm enforcement with early intervention, support for vulnerable young people and meaningful engagement with their families and communities.
The One Bermuda Alliance encouraged anyone with relevant information to contact the police.
