Bullets shatter hopes as mom struggles to prepare for new school year

Pat Hexell is a broken woman and, as she gathered guineps for sale from a tree in Salt Spring, St James, yesterday, her mind swirled with worry, wondering what life holds ahead.

Hexell is mother to two minors and, with mere weeks before the reopening of school, she is desperately trying to make money to buy school supplies for them.

So far, she has nothing, she moaned; and that’s not even the worst of it.

Her eldest child, 19, was shot multiple times in his right knee last Tuesday.

The incident happened in nearby war-torn Granville and, since then, doctors have had to amputate his leg for fear an infection would spread throughout his body. One other person was also shot and injured in the reported shootout.

Now, with the young man’s whole life before him, he is handicapped, and Hexell and his father dread the road ahead when he is released from the hospital.

So far, they have spent only $10,000 for medical expenses because the hospital provides free healthcare.,But they worry about follow-up treatments, prescriptions and a life of dependency for the youngster who, they said, had been anxious to take up a job in Portland before the incident.

“He just finished helping with the cooking and asked me for a money to go and buy juice ‘cause he don’t like drink water,” said Hexell about the ill-fated night. “On Friday, they said the whole of his lower leg swell up and black.”

“When I returned, they cut off him foot. Him is just 19 years old,” she said.

“Nobody knows who shoot him. We don’t know either, and so we just have to be careful” she continued, the boy’s distraught father looking on from not far away.

“Is me go out the road and turn him over and look pon him and put him in the car. Me drop down at first when me see him,” said the dad, holding back tears.

“Now, at just 19, is like this mash up him whole future,” continued the father. He, too, has been struggling financially.

According to the couple, one crocus bag of guineps yields roughly $6,000. But that is only on a good day. And, when guinep season ends, they move on to selling other crops. That’s just how they survive daily.

“It is hard on us. Right now, I’m looking at at least $10,000 to buy some school [items] for my children dem. I don’t have anything either,” charged another mother, who was among a group of about seven persons sorting guineps from the tree for sale.

UNFORTUNATE

Yesterday, Michael Troupe, councillor for the Granville division, confirmed the shooting, noting that he visited the scene but has not yet made contact with the victims or their families.

Granville, he claimed, had been mostly incident-free, and Tuesday’s shooting was rather “unfortunate”.

Troupe criticised what he described as lack of representation from members of parliament in the parish.

“The area had been crime-free for the last 18 months. My understanding is that both victims were shot in their legs. My recommendation to the family is to report what they know to the police,” he said, adding that up to yesterday morning he had been reaching out to youths on various corners in the area.

“I heard it was a football match and it seemed to be a long-time thing (feud). But I can’t comment further until I have spoken to the parents.”

Meanwhile, he said his team had implemented a regular community ‘night out’ where residents can interact. He said there have also been three summer school programmes for children as well, as he spoke of the various measures aimed at keeping crime at bay.

Yesterday, police sleuths in Montego Bay said the matter was still under investigation.

corey.robinson@gleanerjm.com