By TAMARA DELANEY

Freeport News Reporter

tdelaney@nasguard.com

Grand Bahama police have launched a full investigation following the fatal stabbing of 24-year-old Gerald Joseph and surviving victim Alexander Demeritte, 28, who were brutally attacked early Saturday morning at the International Bazaar.

Initial reports revealed that an unidentified male telephoned officers around 2:30 a.m. and reported that a man was lying on the ground in the area of the barber shop in the bazaar.

When police responded to the call, they found Joseph clad in short blue jeans and white polo shirt lying motionless with multiple stab wounds about his body.

Demeritte was found in the same area suffering from stab wounds to the left shoulder and upper arm.

The two men, both residents of #77 Regency Park in North Bahamia, were rushed to the Rand Memorial Hospital, where Joseph was pronounced dead upon arrival. The other victim was detained and is currently said to be in satisfactory condition.

Information obtained by the police noted that the young men were approached by two men, both believed to be in their late twenties, near the barber shop. The men were allegedly armed with knives when they began stabbing Joseph and Demeritte before fleeing the scene.

Both of the attackers are reported to be residents of Regency Park, North Bahamia, and are considered armed and dangerous.

Police said Joseph's is the eighth homicide reported in Grand Bahama this year.

Meanwhile, Grand Bahama police continue their probe into the reported disappearance at sea of 64-year old Lenward "Big Ben" Davis, of #67 Pioneer's Way, and Michael Pinder, 48, of #3 Widgeon Road, Grasmere subdivision, after the discovery of their speedboat.

Police were aboard a twin engine aircraft scanning the ocean between McLeans Town and South Abaco when they spotted the 21ft Chaparral speedboat, the Sloppy Joe.

Authorities found the boat submerged between Lily Bank Cay and Moore's island and after examining the vessel found that its stern had been broken. The engine was some distance away from the hull.

The two men were allegedly travelling on-board with 52-year-old Cephas Taylor of Block 11 Lot 13 Albacore Drive en route to Moore's Island when the stern broke apart, causing the boat to sink in a 30ft deep water.

According to Taylor, the trio began swimming towards Moore's Island, but as darkness fell he lost sight of Davis and Pinder.

Some 20 hours later, he was rescued by a passing boat and taken to Moore's Island.

Police officers, a BASRA official along with several civilians spent hours on Thursday, aboard a twin engine aircraft, searching the waters between Grand Bahama and Abaco for the missing men, but their efforts were fruitless.

As the police and BASRA officials resume their search, they are asking pilots and boat operators traversing the Grand Bahama/Abaco air and sea corridor to keep a lookout for anything that could be linked to this incident.

Officers are presently on Moore's Island making arrangements to salvage the remains of the vessel.