A 20-year-old man was stabbed and mortally wounded in an incident at Horseshoe Bay yesterday.

Police confirmed last night that the victim sustained fatal injuries in a reported disturbance, which happened at about 3.15pm.

The Bermuda Police Service also confirmed that a 17-year-old male has been arrested in connection with the incident.

In a statement, a BPS spokesman said that the victim was assisted by on-duty lifeguards after he suffered multiple stab wounds.

The man was then taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital for further treatment.

A police spokeswoman later confirmed that the man had died.

The spokeswoman said: “The Bermuda Police Service can now confirm that the young man who was injured during a stabbing incident at Horseshoe Bay Beach earlier today, has succumbed to his injuries.

“The investigation surrounding the circumstance of his death is now being carried out by the Serious Crime Unit.”

Police asked anyone who may have witnessed or recorded the incident to contact Acting Detective Inspector Anneka Donawa on 717-2250 or at adonawa@bps.bm.

Anonymous reporting can also be made through portal.police.bm or Crime Stoppers on 800-8477.

Ben Smith, the opposition spokesman for national security, described the incident as a tragedy.

Mr Smith said: “What has become of our beautiful island home when what should have been a day for celebration and unity has ended in tragedy?

“As a community we cannot continue to be sad in the moment and then revert to our normal lives.

“Serious actions must be taken to counter the antisocial behaviour which we are sadly seeing more of these days.

“I implore any witnesses today to please come forward.”

He added: “On behalf of the One Bermuda Alliance, I would like to extend my heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased.”

The killing comes after police issued a warning ahead of the holiday weekend that they would be out in force in a bid to clamp down on criminal activity.

In a statement on Thursday, Superintendent Dennis Astwood of the Bermuda Police Service said that officers would be carrying out stop-and-search operations.

Mr Astwood said: “Our officers will be actively engaged in … implementing appropriate stop-and-search initiatives at various locations, to promote responsible behaviour and deter any potential threats to safety.”

In 2022 the force launched a campaign against the possession of bladed articles following concerns that knife crime was on the increase.

Darrin Simons, the Commissioner of Police, said at the time: “The Bermuda Police Service has noticed what appears to be an uptick in violent incidents involving the use of bladed articles.

“We’ve increased our level of engagement significantly as a result of some of the uptick we’ve seen in violence. We are very much out there already.

“The officers do not need reasonable grounds in the circumstances. The authority is given for an area, for a period of time, and officers have the ability to stop and search anyone in that area in order to prevent violence.

“Police officers have the authority to stop and search any individual they suspect of carrying a bladed article.”

• UPDATE: this article has been updated with the latest information from the Bermuda Police Service