Wilkie Arthur
Freelance Court Reporter
#TurksandCaicos, November 9, 2023 – Police reported that on Thursday September 21st, 2023 they shot two unarmed men in a stolen vehicle. They admitted discharging their firearm and both men received gunshot wounds. The men were apprehended, hospitalized and later released in police custody after surgeries, now the duo has had their day in court.
Magnetic Media was at court on Monday October 16th, 2023 when police pulled up some 25 days after the shooting with two properly bandaged, limping, wounded, handcuffed and shackled individuals for court, they were brought to answer charges concerning that early morning police shooting and taking motor vehicle without authority incident.
Charged with “taking motor vehicle without authority, vehicle interference and other motor vehicle offenses” are JAMES FONTAINE and SHALDIN VYNDIKE DELANCY; the charges are not considered very serious offenses in TCI law and courts.
JAMES FONTAINE was granted $7,000.00 bail but is presently in prison as he has no one to sign surety for him and SHALDIN VYNDIKE DELANCY was not granted bail because he has other pending matters in court that he failed to attend and answer when they were called before the Magistrate’s court previously.
Both accused have entered guilty pleas in the matter of a stolen flatbed Mac truck on the shooting night/early morning of September 21st, and have also pleaded guilty to vehicle interference of a small yellow Nissan March on September 8th, 2023 in Five Cays, Providenciales.
Speaking to Magnetic Media whilst waiting for Court to commence, James Fountaine said he was shot nine times and Shaldin Delancy claimed to have been shot five times.
Ahead of the hearing, both men shared with us that they were going to plead guilty for their roles or involvement in the vehicle offenses but explained the “Police didn’t have to shoot us up like that. We didn’t have no gun, we didn’t try shoot them, man them dudes was trying to kill us. Only God got us still alive today. We had to lose control of the vehicle and had to dodge down and hide underneath the inside of the vehicle to avoid instant death bullets. Thankfully it was a big Mac truck, we could of hide from some the bullets but we still got hit a lot. After that they still dragged us out the vehicle and finished beating us up so bad, leaving us on the ground bleeding for a while before taking us to hospital. They wanted to kill us man.”
Fountaine and Delancy also said, in response to a question that some of the officers were locals, others were Bahamians.
The demeanor of the men, in sharing their account of alleged events on the night/morning in question was a very emotional Delancy; seriously crying and Fontaine was loud, angered by the ordeal.
The escorting police officers did attempt to muzzle the men by telling them to stop talking to the media however, neither man paid the warning any mind and spoke freely as they are constitutionally entitled to do.
We also asked them just before they were called into Court to be arraigned in the charges, if they shared their account with anyone and they told us, yes.
“Some Cayman Island police officers came and told us they are investigating our shooting but we know police don’t go against police. They told us if we get a lawyer, our lawyers could get the shooting documents and their findings or results from the investigation.”
The stolen vehicle offenses case against the duo was adjourned.
Representing both accused regarding the vehicle offenses is Latisha Williams-Bruce.