4-y-o shot in head as man killed in drive-by attack
Published:Monday | December 13, 2021 | 12:07 AMDavid Salmon/Gleaner Writer
A four-year-old is battling for life after being shot in the head during a drive-by attack by gunmen that killed one man.
The incident occurred in Bunnan Gully, a community located along Mannings Hill Road in St Andrew.
The deceased has been identified as Carlton Brown, otherwise known as ‘Bounce’, a resident of the community. He was killed shortly before 6 p.m. on Saturday while entering the lane.
The community was still tense on Sunday and the blood of the deceased stained sections of the roadway.
The infant, Quhaine James, was injured by a stray bullet while returning from a nearby shop with his cousin.
A relative of Quhaine explained that he was currently battling for life in hospital as a stray bullet went through his face.
The anxiety of Quhaine’s family increased when they learned that he had been in a coma and that his heart had stopped for several minutes during surgery.
However, his relatives continue to be hopeful as he has regained consciousness.
“After he did surgery, he opened his eyes and he was looking around. I am hoping for the best. I am praying for the best and for him to pull through, and for everything to be all right,” the relative said.
A resident who spoke with The Gleaner, on condition of anonymity, said that Brown was mentally ill. Only seven months ago, the resident said, he lost his father in a shooting incident in Havendale, hundreds of metres from where Brown died.
“The one who dead, his head nuh good ... . Him nuh really trouble nobody,” the resident said.
Saturday’s incident is the latest in a spate of shootings in which children have either been wounded or killed.
A one-year-old was among six injured on Corletts Road in Spanish Town earlier on Saturday.
Just over a week ago, residents of the nearby Cassava Piece community were rocked by a shooting which left a 13-year-old girl and a man injured.