Police have provided a round-up of crimes over the Bermuda Day weekend, including a stabbing death and the recovery of a firearm.

Antoine Daniels, the Assistant Commissioner of Police, said that 19 people had been arrested over the holiday while five knife incidents were reported.

He added that police have seen 16 incidents of knife crimes this year and that the island could surpass last year’s record of 25 should the trend continue.

Mr Daniels said: “Police are always concerned about any incident, whether it’s the first holiday of the year or the first day of the year, involving firearms and knives.

“That demonstrates within our small island community that there are persons who share some kind of animosity towards each other and the first step they’re taking towards resolution is picking up a knife or a firearm.”

Mr Daniels said that, during the first major incident, police saw a group of men acting suspiciously near Cambridge Beaches in Sandys at about 11pm on Thursday.

He said the men scattered upon seeing police and officers searched the area, finding a firearm “among some other items”.

Mr Daniels said that the firearm was being forensically tested to see if it was functional and to check if it had been used in any crimes.

The update came after Dahny Simmons-Outerbridge, 18, was charged in Magistrates’ Court yesterday with the killing of 20-year-old Zijae Jones during a brawl at Horseshoe Bay on Friday.

Mr Daniels said that the incident led to two arrests, including Mr Simmons-Outerbridge, with the investigation potentially leading to more.

He pushed for those with information to contact police, and reminded the public not to share footage of the incident over social media as it could impact the case.

Mr Daniels gave condolences to Mr Jones’s friends and loved ones.

The Assistant Commissioner also confirmed that a 22-year-old male had been stabbed in the face on Friday at 7.54am near Pier 6 in Hamilton, just before the Bermuda Day Parade began.

Mr Daniels described the wound as not life-threatening and said that the man received stitches at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and was discharged.

He said that the incident was believed to have been over a “domestic dispute” with a woman who left before police arrived.

He added that a full investigation was under way.

In addition, police investigated three other knife crimes that sent two people to the hospital for minor injuries.

Five arrests were made for impaired driving.

Mr Daniels said that there had been 84 incidents of knife crime reported to police since 2020.

He added that 54 arrests this year alone related to knife crimes.

Mr Daniels said: “This is not new to Bermuda, it’s not a new phenomenon, and if this doesn’t stop or active stances are not taken to arrest this type of behaviours, this can reach epic proportions.”

He said that police would do everything in their power to reduce knife crimes, including stop and searches, educational programmes and increasing patrols.

Mr Daniels added that “what is certain is that we cannot do it alone”.

He reminded those who carried knives for protection that possession was unlawful and was likely to turn confrontations violent.

Mr Daniels added that the best way to stay safe was to remain home or avoid areas prone to danger.

He also gave updates on a collision on Friday involving a Bermuda Day Parade trailer and a water truck on North Shore Road in Pembroke.

He said that the water truck driver had been trapped in his vehicle, but was removed and taken to the hospital, as was the trailer driver.

Mr Daniels said both men sustained only minor injuries, but their vehicles received “major damage”.

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