CRAWFORDVILLE, FL — A senior male officer with the Royal Bahamas Police Force is facing a murder charge following the deadly shooting of a Crawfordville man last weekend.
The officer, who's not being named in the release, appeared in the Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, March 25th, to be formally arraigned on a charge of murder.
The release says on March 21st, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said an off-duty officer was at a business establishment shortly before 6:00 p.m., when an altercation began inside and continued outside.
During the incident, police said one of the individuals involved entered a vehicle and allegedly drove it in a threatening manner toward the officer, and fearing for his life, the officer drew his service weapon and fired a single shot at the driver, who sustained fatal injuries.
A GoFundMe account has identified the man killed as Cody Castillo, who was in the Bahamas for work.
United States Ambassador to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas Herschel Walker released a statement on Wednesday, saying in part,
"I am pleased to see the Government of The Bahamas has moved to bring murder charges against the police officer accused of shooting an American citizen this weekend.....The protection and wellbeing of American citizens will always be the highest priority of any Embassy, and we will continue to seek justice in this case, and all cases where our citizens have been the victims of crime."
The U.S. Embassy issued a statement on Monday regarding the incident.
“We are closely following the case of the shooting death of a U.S. citizen by an off-duty police officer last weekend. We note with deepest concern media reports that the officer followed the unarmed victim to his vehicle before fatally shooting him. We urge the Government of The Bahamas to ensure the victim receives justice in this case without delay.”
The next court hearing will take place on July 23rd.
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