Double tragedy - 4-y-o dies after accidentally shooting self, man's body found in St Andrew community on Boxing Day
Published:Wednesday | December 27, 2017 | 12:00 AMCorey Robinson
Residents of the Delamere Avenue community in St Andrew were plunged into mourning twice on Boxing Day, following the deaths, in separate incidents, of a mechanic known to look out for the children in the area and a boy who was killed in an accident with his father's gun.
Four-year-old Nathan Newman reportedly shot himself in the head about 6 p.m. on Tuesday, minutes after his father, a security guard, arrived home with the weapon and a bucket of chicken he had taken for his family.
The incident occurred hours after the middle-aged mechanic, who residents called 'Glen' and who lived directly opposite the boy's home in the community off Waltham Park Road, was found dead in his room.
Nathan's parents, who were left traumatised by their child's death, declined to speak with The Gleaner yesterday, but a resident who gave her name as Andrene said that she and the youngster's father were outside talking about Glen's death when they heard the fatal explosion.
"I can't sleep, and I have just been crying and crying. It's like I can't cry anymore. I always hear things like this happen on the TV, but I never think that I would experience it. It's like a nightmare," said Andrene, who said she was a close friend of Nathan's parents.
Andrene said that about 30 minutes before the incident, she and Nathan were playing. She said that shortly after, the boy's father went to put him to bed before returning outside. While they were talking, they heard the explosion, and Nathan's father ran to the house, to find his son dead.
Yesterday, as a male relative washed the child's blood from the house, a group of women gathered and bemoaned his death and gave their support to Nathan's father.
"They loved their child ... . In regard to him (father) leaving the weapon careless, that's not him. My daughter plays around there, and I am a skeptical person when it comes to my daughter. From the time I have been going around there, I have never physically seen a weapon," Andrene declared.
Yesterday afternoon, the police said they were still conducting investigations into the incident and that it remained possible that the child's father could face charges.
In the meantime, the residents theorised that Glen - who they described as a loving guardian to all children in the yard - may have been a victim of excessive celebration of the holidays. He was found lifeless by a worried friend.
"Look like a di drinking kill him. Him nuh fi did too drink too much, and him did a drink the whole heap a [energy drink] and then this and then that. So probably is something happen to him heart," said one of the men who found the body.
The police are also investigating that death.