Visibly distraught and in shock, residents of the small tight knit community of Plantol street are left wondering why their beloved community member was gunned down.
The bloodied handprint, presumably of the deceased 35 year old Chemico Pheron Mackey, was still on the walls yesterday coupled with bullet holes which pierced the tiles and interior of the small hallway of his home on Irish Spring Court off Plantol Street.

The Bahama Journal yesterday spoke with residents of the community where the murder occurred. Shortly after 10pm two men reportedly pulled up in a vehicle, one got out the vehicle and delivered the first shot.

Eyewitnesses say as Mackey tried to run for his life, another gunman exited the same car and began shooting at him multiple times. Both gunmen followed Mackey into his home entryway where they continued shooting at him in close range, subsequently killing him.

Plantol Street Community leader Anthony Lightfoot also known in the community as Outlaw, described the kind of person Mackey was to The Journal.

“The fellow who got gunned down last night (Wednesday), Mr. Mackey, the deceased, was a quiet person and not a troublesome person where you could expect this kind of thing to happen and this cold blooded kind of killing what these fellows did last night.

“The only thing we could ask is for them to have some kind of mercy and turn yourself in,” Mr. Lightfoot said.

Still visibly shaken by Wednesday night’s murder, residents of the community also expressed their sorrow about the well liked man.

“That was my real, real friend; one of the last of the dying breeds round here right now,” One of the residents stated.

Another hurt resident shared her sentiments: “That boy sits in his house every night. He don’t bother no one.
“This has to be a personal something and something has to be done fast because it is crippling the area and it making the young ones feel like we are not safe.”

As she started to cry, she continued, “Something like this; this was an innocent person.

“We’ve lost too many people to stay round on the road. Too much of our friends got killed innocently round here for nothing. People come here, infiltrate our community and we don’t bother no one around here.”

Plantol Street Community leader Mr. Lightfoot works hard to keep the youth off the street from getting into problems which can affect them later on in life.

Expanding further, Mr. Lightfoot said, “If we don’t change the mindset of the young generation, the crime level will never stop, the murders will never stop.

“If you can’t get to the youngsters and change their mentality of thinking; a row or a falling out with a fellow shouldn’t result in a murder. They have no value for life no more; life has no value anymore. All the value has been lost in this country.

“We have to come together as a nation to restore value back to life in this younger generation,” Mr. Lightfoot emphasized.

Mackey, whose known on the streets as ‘Daddy Meeks’, is said to be the area’s fifth murder victim in four days; all the victims were young males who were gunned down.

A Mother’s only son, Mackey also left behind a teenage daughter… the deceased worked in the construction industry…

Thus far, January has recorded eight homicides for the year.