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Police reveal suspicious behaviour of killer gunmen on motorbike

Photo by Mark TatemA single rose marks the place where 22-year-old Randy Robinson was shot dead on Border Lane North.

The brazen killers of Randy Robinson sped right past his home just seconds after they’d repeatedly shot him at close range.Police have revealed two men hiding their faces with helmets carried out the drive-by shooting as the 22-year-old father-of-one was walking alone on a quiet, single-track road in Pembroke.He was hit with a hail of bullets in Border Lane North, which is just around the corner from the home he shared with mom Roydelle Robinson on Railway Terrace.Mr Robinson would have seen his murderers as he was shot as he walked up Border Lane North, towards Friswells Lane. The two suspects were travelling in the opposite direction, only about a metre or two away from him. Residents said he was shot five times in the chest and head.Then in an attempt to flee the scene the two men, who were wearing dark clothing and helmets with visors, rode a dark bike at high speed past Mr Robinson’s house, where his mom was at home chatting to friends.Mr Robinson was killed at about 8.30pm on Thursday just 30 minutes before he was due to meet his dad Randy Spence for a lobster dinner.A single red plastic flower now marks the spot where Mr Robinson was found lying in a pool of blood.Mr Robinson was the great-nephew of community activist Gina Spence. This means in just over a year Ms Spence has lost her son-in-law, James ‘Junior’ Lawes, and great-nephew to gun violence.Ms Spence said: “This shows the level of boldness of these people. They carry out these shootings and ride off in residential areas, they are not scared of anyone or anything.”Ms Spence, who lives near the murder scene, said she had no idea it was Mr Robinson who had been shot until she got to the scene and people started to offer her their condolences. She then saw her great-nephew’s body.She said: “I just stood there and screamed, then cried out to God.“As a family we now have to work to get through this, it’s so hard.”Mr Robinson was the third murder of 2011. Last year 29 people were shot, including seven men who were murdered.Mr Robinson, who was father to two-year-old Xyior Basden, was a talented footballer who played for North Village Rams and previously Devonshire Cougars. He worked as a housekeeper at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.Senior police officers yesterday returned to the murder scene to try to “jog people’s memories” about the journey the two suspects took. They said they were confident they would catch the killers but suspected local residents knew more than they were letting on.Police revealed the two suspects were spotted on a dark motorbike travelling in a northerly direction from the Friswells Road area at “a very slow speed.”When they got to the junction of Friswells Lane, Roberts Alley and Border Lane North they are said to have “picked things up and increased their speed.”Mr Robinson’s body was found in an unresponsive state just metres from the top of Border Lane North next to a grey wall, by the side of a peach-coloured house.The suspects are then said to have continued to travel at high speed down the hill of Border Lane North until they turned left into Railway Terrace at the stop sign.It is believed the men then sped across Palmetto Road and onto Orchard Road, heading towards the Glebe Road area.Detective Superintendent Antoine Daniels said: “We have come to the crime scene to appeal to potential witnesses and those who live in the area who may have seen something.“We are doing this because often people don’t believe they saw something significant, so we are trying to jog their memories.“People may have seen something but not come forward to tell police about it.”Det Supt Daniels made reference to Saturday’s Royal Gazette story in which residents reported seeing members of 42 and MOB gangs driving around the area hours before the murder, saying: “We have to know what people saw.”He said: “If residents saw something brewing in that area it is very, very concerning as not one person came to us to tell us this. We could have sent resources to the area.“If people saw anything, if they have any kind of information, we want to know about it.“We believe we are on the right track and heading in the right direction but we can’t do it alone, we need the public’s help.”Acting Chief Inspector Michael Redfern said the police were doing everything they could to “bring the people responsible for this cowardly murder to justice.”Chf Insp Redfern, who is in charge of the investigation, said: “I know this is a very difficult time for the this community. It’s a close-knit community and we know there is a lot of talk and a fear of reprisals.“But we believe residents in the area would have been outside their homes and would have noticed a bike driving at high speed or driving in a suspicious manner.“It’s important for us to get a combination of forensics and a human side (as evidence). What we’re lacking in is the human side of things.”Five people were arrested in connection with Mr Robinson’s murder in the early hours of Friday morning. They have all since been released on police bail.Meanwhile, people across the community continue to pay tribute to Mr Robinson. North Village president Sherwin Dill said: “He was just such a nice person to be around, he had a real warmness about him, he brought lots of smiles wherever he went.“He was committed to the game and a real joy to be with. Football was always his only focus, he always avoided all the anti-social stuff, he stayed away from the violence.”North Village’s youth technical director Maceo Dill added: “It’s such a shame this has happened, it’s very shocking and actually frightens me for future generations. It proves that no-one is immune to these shootings.”North Village captain Sammy DeGraff, 30, said: “He was a really upbeat guy who bought out the best in everyone. He liked to talk, which made games more interesting.”Friend Alicia ‘Polly’ Williams said: “He stayed true as a friend to me and I did my best to always be honest with him.“I will always remember our memories and I will miss Randy more than anyone would imagine. I am going to miss his laugh and his sarcasm the most.”Anyone with any information regarding Mr Robinson’s murder should contact the Serious Crime Unit at 295-0011 or the Crime Stoppers Bermuda hotline at 800-8477.

Photo by Mark TatemPolice Superintendent Antoine Daniels speaks at a press conference on Border Lane North in hopes of reaching out to the community to come foward with information on the shooting death of 22-year-old Randy Robinson