By MINDELL SMALL, Guardian Senior Reporter
mindell@nasguard.com
Nine days after her son was slain outside her home, a Pinewood Gardens resident said she would not rest until she got answers from the police.
Diana Bethel, mother of 20-year-old Deron Bethel, who was killed last Monday, told The Guardian yesterday that she was very disappointed with the manner in which police were handling the investigation.
She charged that a police officer, who pulled up across the street from her house that night, shot her son three times, mistaking him for someone else.
"It was a case of mistaken identity but they refused to admit that to me. I'm still waiting for answers," she said.
"Apparently, they had come for a guy by the name of Warren but they didn't know who Warren was. They were in an unmarked car (white Nissan Sentra) and they did not have a warrant, they had no police badges and they were in plain clothes," she added.
Deron, who was a Pool and Beach attendant at RIU Resort on Paradise Island, had just made plans to get married in November to his fiancé Shakira Coakley. His bloodied body was reportedly left lying in the road for more than an hour. "I know the police killed my child, no ifs ands or buts about that," stressed Mrs Bethel. "I know that, and I want justice. I want answers. And I was also told that this was not the first killing by this particular police officer, who is still on the Force."
She added that she had not filed an official complaint with the Police Complaints and Corruption Unit, saying she had no confidence in that system. Instead, she said she was contemplating suing the Police Force and was talking to her lawyer in that regard.
Mrs Bethel, a worker at Princess Margaret Hospital for 34 years said after making inquiries, she finally learned yesterday that her son was shot in his heart, his upper chest and neck.
She said Chief Superintendent Hulan Hanna, second in charge of the Southern Bahamas, came to her house after the incident to give an update.
When The Guardian called Supt Hanna yesterday, he said the police were investigating the matter but could not prejudice the investigation by giving particulars of the case.
"Both the Commissioner (Paul Farquharson) and myself have conveyed our sympathies to Mrs Bethel because we can't even begin to understand the pain that a mother feels, having lost her son in the manner in which he died," said Supt Hanna.
"We also, at the time, committed to her that a further investigation had commenced into the matter and that we would systematically give the family updates."
He continued, "I want to reassure her again that in this Royal Bahamas Police Force, we have absolutely nothing to hide. Our investigation is straight down the middle, and wherever the chips fall, that's where they fall."
Chief Superintendent Marvin Dames also told The Guardian that the police was not taking the matter lightly, adding, "These are serious allegations, and naturally, we would want to investigate them."
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Cynthia Pratt, is expected to meet with Mrs Bethel this morning.
