52 year old, Royal Bahamas Defence Force Petty Officer Philip Perpall, was reported to have been shot multiple times in his upper body and killed, while in the guardroom at Government House, where he and three other officers had gathered for a break, at approx. 2:30am on Sunday, April 28th, 2019.
Perpall, it was said, was a 30 year veteran marine who had once served in Haiti as a United Nations peacekeeper. A Nassau daily, quoting multiple off-record sources, reported that the suspected shooter, was an off-duty able seaman marine.
On Monday, April 29th, 2019, The governing Free National Movement (FNM) issued the following statement regarding Sunday morning’s incident at the Government House: “The tragic event that took place Sunday morning has shocked our entire country and the FNM mourns for the victim of such a senseless crime. The FNM gives its deepest condolences to the family of Petty Officer Philip Perpall who served his country for over 30 years, gaining the respect of his peers for his character and his commitment to service.
“The FNM would like to thank all of our RBDF personnel, who put their lives on the line every waking moment. We are confident the current investigation will provide answers and ultimately justice. However, today is not a day for politics, and we encourage our friends on the other side of the political aisle to respect this time of mourning and withhold their political rhetoric and to honor the victim and his family.”
