Wounded but not out - Surviving victim in brazen Porus gun attack welcomed home
Published:Tuesday | January 23, 2018 | 12:00 AMJason Cross/Gleaner Writer
There were cheers and celebrations on Tuesday as a surviving victim of Saturday's shooting incident, which claimed two lives in Porus, Manchester, returned home from hospital.
He was shot multiple times in the brazen attack but is grateful he has escaped with his life, even though a woman and a male bar operator were not so lucky.
The Gleaner caught up with him shortly after his release, in high spirits, smoking a cigarette as he sat on a table outside a bar off the Porus main road, surrounded by family and friends.
He has been reduced to two crutches and a heavily bandaged left leg, but being elated to be home, the urge came over him to puff a cigarette and relax.
"Mi glad to be home! All mi did waa do a lef di hospital 'cause too much somebody did a dead round mi," he shared, requesting not to be named.
The exact spot where he sat sharing how grateful he was to be alive, cracking all sorts of jokes, was where his bitter encounter unfolded a few days ago.
The Old Trafford Sports Bar, otherwise dubbed the 'war zone', is the battlefield for late-night domino clashes. However, neither he nor those who were playing dominoes with him around 10:20 p.m. that fateful night envisioned it being transformed into a literal war zone.
"There is no war thing here. Yah suh nuh hot. We call it we likkle war zone. Not even fight bruk yah suh. A just people weh never fi deh bout, come bout. You know seh people will give trouble and come round you, simple as that. Is just di other day after 2 o'clock inna di night, me and mi police brethren from (Kingston) out here a play domino," he said.
... I played dead because I did not want to die
On Saturday night, a fierce domino battle was under way at the Old Trafford Sports Bar in Porus, Manchester, when loud explosions were heard coming from a bar located next door.
The owner of that bar, 49-year-old St Claire Wayne Jordine, was shot and killed by gunmen.
But as the gunmen attempted to make their retreat, they fired several shots to keep persons around at bay. Frightened domino players and bystanders scampered for cover.
While running to jump over a wall at the back of the business place, he ran right into the path of the startled gunmen, who thought he was in pursuit of them. One of them opened fire at him, hitting him in the left leg and on the left side of his upper body in the rib cage region.
Marcia McKenzie, 52 years old, affectionately known as Christie, who was running closely behind him, was shot and killed.
He was confident that he was not the target.
"You know people will give trouble and come around. A just people weh never fi deh bout come bout, and dem just tek him. A two months now him (the deceased bar operator) start run deh suh. After dem shoot him, everybody run. Den me get inna dem way, and the woman get inna dem way," he shared with The Gleaner on Tuesday, asking not to be named.
"Unfortunately, Christie inna di way when dem a fire at me cause me jump over the wall. Maybe if me never run fi go jump over di wall, Christie wouldn't get shot. When mi drop and see the man a come towards mi after mi get shot, I just lay dung and stiffen up, like mi dead, with one eye pon him. All mi a seh was dat mi nuh waa dead and mi nuh married to mi girlfriend yet, suh how mi fi dead."
Up to January 20, three murders were recorded in Manchester.