Cayman Islands Helps Victims of Haitian Quake

Here are some of the agencies assisting in the relief effort.

Cayman Red Cross

916–1742

rxadmin@candw.ky

925–0681

949–6785 ext. 22.

hbalgobin@gmail.com

Accepting monetary donations for the relief efforts. Persons wishing to donate funds can go directly to the Red Cross or make a deposit at Butterfield Bank under the Cayman Islands Red Cross Haiti Earthquake Appeal (02–201–035054–04).

National Building Society of Cayman

945–2014

Staff members have set up donation boxes at teller counters for customers to make contributions. The funds collected will be deposited to the Cayman Red Cross account at Butterfield Bank. NBSC, 71 Eastern Avenue

The Cayman Council of the United Church of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands

947–1963

cicucjci@candw.ky

Yves and Carmen Fontaine

326–6340

Arranging a container to locate on lot next to Buttonwood Club on Shedden Road.

St. Ignatius Church and School

949–6797

Jeremy.rice@st–ignatius.com

Collecting funds. All parishioners, parents, students and staff are being asked to contribute between 14–24 January.

Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort

949–0088

Collecting can goods, clothes and anything that can be of help to the Haiti people. 389 Seven Mile Beach Fernando Soler or Stephanie Amante

Stephanie.amante@marriotthotels.com

Wesleyan Holiness Church, West Bay

949–3394

949–1121
926–0594
johnbettycase@hotmail.com
samaritanoutreach@hotmail.com
Accepting monetary donations. Persons wishing to donate funds can drop it in the container at church or deliver it to the school office.

Taste of Cayman

All those attending this Saturday’s event, starting at 5pm at Camana Bay can donate at the entrance to the festival where Red Cross booths will be set up.

Digicel

All Digicel mobile customers can text the letters ‘HELP’ to 5151 to donate a dollar to the telecom company’s earthquake relief effort. Digicel has already donated some $5 million to the relief project in Haiti.

LIME

All LIME mobile customers can text the word ‘Haiti’ to 4376 (HELP) to donate $2 to the telecom company’s earthquake relief effort. LIME employees have launched an employee donation initiative across the 13 islands in which the company operates to collect cash, clothing, canned, non–perishable food and personal hygiene items to send to Haiti. LIME will match the donations dollar for dollar.

Sunset House

Sunset House will not be charging for shore diving tanks this coming weekend. (JAN 16 – 17, 2010). Instead of payment for tanks, Sunset will be asking for a minimum donation of CI$5.00 to go to the Red Cross.

Dolphin Cove and the YUDP

On Sunday, 17 January, Dolphin Cove will be donating all revenue made for the day to assist with the YUDP and its Haitian Relief Funds. Special Discounted rates are available for residents and as a special thank you for supporting this initiative, Dolphin Cove will be giving away free CD Photo Packages to every family, individual or buddy group taking part.

Cayman Outreach

916–1563

The group is arranging a container to be located in the parking lot of Cayman Shoe Shop on Eastern Avenue. They are seeking building material, clothes, shoes, tinned food, dry food, medicine; no garbage. Donation times 8.30am until 5.30pm Monday through Saturday

ADRA

Adventist Disaster and Relief Agency along with the Cayman Islands Conference of Seventh–day Adventists will be taking up a special offering in each of the Adventist churches for the next two weeks and dispatching those funds off to Haiti immediately.

The Director of ADRA Cayman is Mr. Benny Moore and he can be reached on 916–2936. The numbers for the conference headquarters are 949–2647, 949–8167 and for President Clarke, his cell number is 916–5510.

Foster’s Food Fair

Foster’s is collecting donations for Haiti relief. All monies collected will be forwarded directly to the Cayman Islands Red Cross for relief efforts tied to the earthquake. Monetary donations can be made at all 5 Foster’s Food Fair IGA stores and Priced Right at every cash register via PLU 650.

Other agencies

InterAction, a coalition of U.S.–based international non–governmental organizations, has a list of agencies responding and how to donate to them. Find it here: www.interaction.org/crisis–list/earthquake–haiti

To donate $10 to the American Red Cross, text Haiti to 90999. The amount will be added to your next phone bill. The organization is also accepting donations through its International Response Fund, www.redcross.org

To donate $5 to Wyclef Jean’s Haitian Yele charity, text 501501. The money will be added to your next phone bill.

To find out how to help the International Rescue Committee, visit www.theIRC.org or call toll free, 1–877–REFUGEE.

To donate through Oxfam’s emergency appeal, visit www.oxfam.org.uk

Cayman - two years of record–setting violence

By Brent Fuller

Cay Compass

Twelve of the 15 homicide victims in Cayman’s past two years of record–setting violence were Caymanians; all but three of whom were under the age of 30.

The average age of the 12 Caymanian shooting victims was approximately 25 years.

The years 2008 and 2009 are believed to be the deadliest the Cayman Islands have ever experienced, with seven people killed in 2008 and eight who died in violent incidents last year.

Three foreign nationals, 40–year–old Frederic Bise 47–year–old Martin Gareau, and 24–year old Fabian Reid also lost their lives in the spate of unprecedented violence in the past two years.

All but one of the eight people killed in 2009 were Caymanians.

There is also a marked difference between the two years in the type of killings occurring. The year 2008 saw only two deaths caused by shootings; 2009 recorded six.

Investigators have also noted an increase most recently in gang–related shootings. At least four of the past five deaths have been shootings that cops have blamed on gang disputes.

“Certainly the ones that I have experienced whilst I have been here have been gang–related,” Police Commissioner David Baines said during an interview prior to the 30 December shooting death of 27–year–old Fabian Powell.

Mr. Baines was specifically referring to the deaths of four men between early July and mid–October including the 5 July shooting of 28–year–old Omar Samuels, the 8 July shooting of 20–year–old Marcus Ebanks, the 10 September shooting of 35–year–old Carlo Webster, and the 13 October shooting death of 24–year–old Fabian Reid.

“They have links, definitive links,” Mr. Baines said.

The commissioner cautioned the public not assume that the recent string of killings is simply gang members offing each other. In fact, he said young Marcus Ebanks’ death was the result of simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“Marcus Ebanks was not a gang member, not involved in organised crime and neither were the two young lads who were with him,” Mr. Baines said. “(The shooters) were after somebody else, but it doesn’t matter who they were after. One young man is dead, one is paralysed for the rest of his life and one is mentally hurt with the loss of a brother.”

Marcus’ brother, 18–year–old Rod, recovered from his injuries in that shooting. Fourteen–year–old Adryan Powell did not. He is expected to remain paralysed from the waist down, despite the best efforts of Miami doctors.

According to police, Marcus Ebanks’ shooting death is not the only one where the suspected shooters apparently got the wrong man.

Shots fired into the car that Fabian Reid was in on 13 October in Newlands were believed to have been intended for another individual; that individual – not Reid – was believed to be the person who shot Carlo Webster inside the Next Level nightclub in September.

Webster’s killing was also believed to be retaliatory.

Police said it was too early to discuss motive in the most recent killing, that of Fabian Powell. However, Powell was at one time considered a suspect in the January 2008 shooting death of 18–year–old Josh Hooker. A police wanted flyer, inadvertently released to the public last year, identified Powell as the man who was wanted for questioning in connection with Josh Hooker’s death.

Powell was never charged in connection with that shooting.

Solving crimes

The Caymanian Compass examined the case clearance rate for the last 15 killings the Islands have experienced.

For 2008, charges and convictions were obtained in two of the seven homicides; those of 21–year–old Aaron William Berry and 20–year–old Brian Rankine. A suspect was also arrested and charged in the death of Canadian national Martin Gareau, but that individual was found not guilty at trial.

The October 2008 rape and killing of Cable and Wireless Communications Manager Estella Scott–Roberts has led to charges against two men who are expected to face trial early this year.

No charges have been filed in the 2008 deaths of Josh Hooker, Frederic Bise, and 23–year–old Mark Jefferson.

In 2009, prosecutors obtained a conviction in the killing of local DJ Sherman “Jazzy B” Bodden, and have charged a man in the March death of 21–year–old Sabrina Schirn. That man, Randy Martin, is currently on trial for murder.

Three men have also been charged in Omar Samuels’ death and are scheduled to face trial.

Arrests were made in connection with Carlo Webster’s shooting, but no charges have been filed. Similarly, no resolution has been brought in the killings of 17–year–old Jerome “J.C.” Russell, Marcus Ebanks, Fabian Reid, and Fabian Powell.

Police Identify Murdered Man at Popular Jamaican Eatery "Welly's"

Police identify murdered man on Sound Way
Published on Sunday, January 3, 2010 in the Cayman Net News
A crowd gathered at the scene of last week’s murder along Sound Way Update: Following a post mortem yesterday (30 December) police can now confirm that Fabian Powell, whose body was found on Tuesday morning near Welly’s Cool Spot on Sound Way, George Town, died of gunshot wounds. He was formally identified by his sister. George Town detectives investigating the murder of the 27-year-old man, a Caymanian who resided in George Town. In the hours following the discovery of the body, murder detectives have spoken to dozens of people in the area and carried out a full forensic examination of the scene. It has been established that the victim had spent the early part of Monday night (29 December 2009) at Welly’s Cool Spot in Sound Way. People have come forward to report that they heard sounds similar to gunshots in the area of Sound Way on Monday night about 10:00 pm. There is also a report of gunshots being heard around 3:00 am on Tuesday morning. Despite the fact that these sounds were heard, no reports were made to the RCIPS at the time. Detective Chief Inspector, Peter Kennett, who is leading the enquiry, said, “We are keeping an open mind about the motive for the murder.” He noted that his team will continue actively to trace people who were at Welly’s Cool Spot on Monday night to establish the last movements of the victim. “If you were in the bar on Monday and you have not already spoken to my officers, then please call the incident room,” he said. “The victim was very well-known in the area. If you saw or spoke to him on Monday night we would be very keen to speak to you. The victim was wearing a white marina sleeveless t-shirt, black faded 3/4 length jean pants with a scroll logo on the back left and black shoes. If you did not know the victim but saw anyone answering this description on Monday night, or in the early hours of Tuesday morning, please get in touch. “It is concerning that despite the fact people heard what appeared to be gunshots on Monday night/Tuesday morning no such reports were made to the police at the time. If you were in the area and heard shots or a disturbance, then again my officers would be interested in speaking with you as soon as possible,” Mr Kennett added.