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Police vow to hunt down Caines' killer

A top Policeman yesterday vowed to bring the killer of a 28-year-old Pembroke man to justice.

And he said a six-man team was working around the clock to solve the mystery of the brutal shooting of James Caines more than a month ago.

Detective Chief Inspector Sinclair White was speaking only days after appealing for more information on the shooting.

And he made the fresh plea after Mr. Caines' father Ali Sheed accused Police of dragging their heels on the probe.

No charges have been brought in the case despite a major Police probe and a reward of $10,000 for information leading to conviction.

Mr. Caines was shot through the glass door of a Curving Avenue house in Pembroke around 9.30 p.m. on Saturday, July 6.

Chief Insp. White admitted: "We haven't had any response in regard to the reward or through Crime Stoppers.

"This is very disappointing -- but it won't dampen our sprits in any way, shape or form. We intend to bring this investigation to a successful conclusion.'' The Royal Gazette reported at the time that Mr. Caines staggered hundreds of yards to his home in nearby Union Street bleeding from a horrific head wound and died in the arms of his mother Sandra Cyrus.

Ms Cyrus said her son managed to name his killer before he died.

Mr. Sheed said: "I can't understand why this investigation is taking so long.'' And he claimed the case was being treated less seriously than the probe into the murder of Canadian schoolgirl Becky Middleton, who died only days before Mr. Caines.

Mr. Sheed said: "When that Canadian girl was killed -- and it was a horrible thing that was done to her -- the Police were arresting people right, left and centre.

"In the end they charged people. But everytime I ask the Police about the investigation, they talk about human rights.

"As far as I'm concerned these should be suspended in cases where something as serious as a murder has taken place.

"As long as the Police are not brutalising anyone, they should be allowed to hold them indefinitely until they confess.

"If they don't do that, they will never catch my son's killer. This case will go unsolved and I don't want that to happen.'' But Chief Insp. White denied claims that the crime was being treated less seriously than the killing of Miss Middleton.

He said: "I don't even want to discuss that -- we are giving this matter our fullest attention.'' "The staff working with me have done an extremely good job and they continue to put in the hours and the dedication -- they are fully committed to solving this crime.'' He added: "This is a completely different case from the earlier murder so we are taking a different line.

"What is appropriate in one case is not appropriate in the other, but we appreciate the concerns of the Caines family and we are doing everything we can.'' Chief Insp. White said: "We are basically looking for anyone who was in that area an hour before the shooting. "They may just have been walking or driving through and something which was out of the norm caught their eye.

"It may have appeared unimportant to them, but could be very important to us.'' Chief Insp. White declined to discuss how many people had been interviewed in connection with the Caines investigation.

But it is understood officers have conducted more than 100 separate interviews in the month-long hunt for the killer.

Anyone who can help the Police investigation should contact Chief Insp. White at the Police incident room on 299-4281 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-623-8477. Calls to Crime Stoppers can be treated in confidence.

Mystery attack: Page 3