Bodyguard to Deputy Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis Sergeant 2438 Andrew Sweeting was rushed to the hospital early Monday morning after he was attacked and shot by two gunmen.

Bahama Journal sources reported that the deputy prime minister was not in harm’s way as he is currently in London, England.

Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade held a press conference at Doctor’s Hospital shortly after the incident and told members of the media that it was around 9:59 a.m. Monday that Sgt. Sweeting, who was on duty at the time, was at a residential area just behind the Prince Charles Shopping Centre when two gunmen attacked.

“These two assailants approached him asked him to, ‘Free up,’ meaning they wanted to rob him,” he said.

“Of course Officer Sweeting was in possession of a handgun, attempted to withdraw his service weapon to engage the suspects who were obviously armed. Gunshots rang out he was hit twice and the assailants then ran off.

“Sweeting was able to hang on to his weapon but unfortunately he was not able to stop the assailants given the injuries he sustained very quickly.”

Commissioner Greenslade said Sweeting, who is attached to the Security and Intelligence Branch (SIB), was shot once to the abdomen and once to the left palm.

At the time of the shooting Sgt. Sweeting, a plain clothes police officer was dressed in his own clothes, standing outside his government issued vehicle.

He added that shortly before he went into surgery, he was able to speak with Sgt. Sweeting about the incident.

So far one of the suspects, who Commissioner Greenslade said has been in and out of the police system for years, is in custody after being arrested in the Nassau Village area.

The commissioner refused to reveal the suspect’s name and age.

“We have in custody one suspect who we feel is directly connected and we are actively pounding the streets seeking the second suspect,” he added. “We feel optimistic that with help from the public the second suspect will be turned in and we will bring some resolution to this matter.”

He added that police officers also know the name of the second suspect, information he did not want to make public at the time due to ongoing investigations.
“Turn that person in,” he suggested to friends and family members of the second suspect. “He’s been running around sweating and if he hasn’t gotten rid of the weapon is attempting to get rid of it and will probably tell someone what he has done.

“Relatives and friends should turn him in because we are going to continue to seek him out. We do have a name. We are going to be very relentless and I’m not going to back off. If they care about him they should care about him.”

Commissioner Greenslade added that Sgt. Sweeting is an officer with more than 15 years experience on the force and is armed at all times.

“I can tell you emphatically he was not targeted,” Commissioner Greenslade said. “I have no information to cause me to believe, as commissioner, that the assailants accosted him and attacked him because he was a police officer.

“I am if the view that once he was accosted and attempted to withdraw his service weapon they realised they took on a difficult target and they ran off. Otherwise, he might be dead. That’s the reality of it. He’s a good officer and I don’t know that he has any reason to look over his shoulders.”

Sgt. Sweeting’s shooting comes just two months after Superintendent Clayton Fernander was shot in an apparent robbery outside his home.