Father & Son Injured in Shooting on the Hummingbird

There were a number of traffic fatalities over the Easter holidays, but we start with the report of a shooting of a father and his infant son, which has shocked the community. Jose Navarette Senior and his three-year-old son received gunshot injuries at their home over the weekend. Police say that the farm manager of Rancho Lomas on the Hummingbird Highway was shot in front of his house door on Sunday night. Navarette Senior was carrying his sleeping baby when the bullet hit him in the hand and also injured the child. Today, the baby’s mother says that she fears to return to the farm because she believes her husband and child could have been killed. Reporter Andrea Polanco tells us more in the following report.

Andrea Polanco, Reporting

Thirty-seven-year-old Jose Navarette and his three-year-old baby boy Jose Junior were injured in a shooting around nine-thirty on Sunday night just outside of their home here on farm called Rancho Lomas. Navarette and his family were arriving home after a church service in St. Margaret’s village.  Herminda Navarette says she was walking behind when heard the gun-shot and she ran to check on her family.

Herminda Navarette, Mother & Wife of Shooting Victim

“As my husband reach close to the door, we heard the gun shot because I was still like about ten feet – not too close to them when I heard that I run to check what happened and he didn’t even know what happened. He said that he think he stepped on something and it was just a pop. But when I see my baby, I saw the blood running down and I said no this is a gun-shot.”

Herminda Navarette

The father and his baby boy were rushed to Western Regional Hospital. Jose Navarette was shot in the hand and the baby received injuries to his right foot and back. Herminda Navarette says doesn’t know what motivated the shooting. While there was a minor matter with a former worker on the farm – she doesn’t know if it is connected. The family now fears for their safety.”

Herminda Navarette

“The baby he was sleeping and my husband was backing him that is why he mostly get it down here and my husband get the two gunshots.”

Reporter

“Was somebody out to get your husband – targeting him – do you know?”

Herminda Navarette

“Well, he had a problem with one of his workers because he is in charge of the farm where they are working. That is the only one that we can suspect but we are not sure because we didn’t see anybody.”

Reporter

“Does your family fear that if you go back home that this person might want to come back and finish off what he started?”

Herminda Navarette

“Well, yes. All of my family tells us not to go back where we are living because they don’t trust anymore. So, they don’t want us to go there anymore. I am not going back for sure. I get so frightened but at the same time, I don’t know if to cry or laugh but I say thanks to God because he saved my husband and my baby.”

According to police, one person has been detained in connection with this shooting but at this time they don’t know what motivated the attack on the Navarette family.

Joseph Myvett

ACP Joseph Myvett, Head, National Crimes Investigation Branch

“So far we are not able to establish a motive but we are following several leads. At this point a team of CIB and major crimes officers are on the ground continuing this investigation.”

Reporting for News Five, I’m Andrea Polanco.