Teenager Escapes Grave Danger After Being Attacked Near Jane Usher Blvd.
Before noon today, another minor was targeted. Fortunately, the sixteen-year old student escaped the multiple shots that were let go in his direction at the house of his grandmother in the Port Loyola area. The older woman says she knows who the shooter is and believes the life of her grandson is under threat because he had witnessed a previous shooting in that area. She is appealing for calm. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
A sixteen-year-old male minor, believed to have witnessed a shooting incident in Port Loyola recently, narrowly escaped with his life just before noon today when a lone gunman, someone he knows fairly well, let loose a barrage of bullets in his direction. The high school student, out of classes from Gwen Liz today, was visiting his grandmother on Man-of-War Street when he came under attack.
Voice of: Grandmother
“He was here all the while until I asked him to go and throw away some dirt for me. It seems that I did not know what is the problem that he has or that he has any problem with anybody out there.”
…but apparently he does. Sometime after eleven o’clock this morning, while returning from disposing garbage, as his grandmother had requested of him, the teenager was targeted. As many as nine shots were fired less than thirty feet from a police vehicle mounted with surveillance equipment.
Voice of: Grandmother
“He was very lucky that not even one had caught him. But my point is, I would like to know, what has he done? Because this person that I know and that I saw done it, is a person that always, they always come to my home regularly. So I would like or want to ask him in person what did he had done to him that he couldn’t come to me or told me that there was something wrong that Justin had done so that I could personally have addressed the problem immediately.”
While the rounds flew wide of the intended target, the elderly woman’s home is bullet-riddled and pockmarks are everywhere on the verandah. In speaking with News Five under the condition of anonymity, the distraught resident made an urgent request to the person who came to kill her grandson.
Voice of: Grandmother
“I would like to appeal to him because I know who you are, so I would like to you, if you could kindly come and see me or tell me or whatever, let me understand what Justin has done to you because I am not sure whether I will take it further or I will just rest it. So I just want, you know who you are and the rest of you know who he is, therefore I am just telling you guys out there that that’s not the way to solve a problem, not by shooting people, especially because Justin did not come out of a bad home, he did not grow up on the street, he was never dragged up on the street. He was grown up the proper, right way. So I just want to find out from you guys out there what really is unu problem.”
According to the grandmother, just moments prior to the shooting she observed a young man running down the street with what appeared to be an object of some sort being concealed under his clothing. She then saw him again when he pursued her grandson.
Voice of: Grandmother
“I saw him, I know him. He does not have to be scared because I know you, I saw you. I was right at my window when I saw you do everything that you have done. So I am just saying to you, if it’s a problem that you cannot solve without coming to me, send your mom, send your mom because your mom knows me very well and your sisters and the rest of you guys. So you could send your mom to me and tell me whatsoever Justin has done and I will handle that problem.”
Isani Cayetano
“Is it that perhaps your grandson may have been with the wrong company or he keeps the wrong company as to why he would have been targeted?”
Voice of: Grandmother
“Well I presume that that is so because Justin has a cousin that he hangs with right behind the other street from where we live. Justin and his cousin had witnessed a shooting that went on in that yard and I presume that that is part of the whole action that is taking place.”
Isani Cayetano
“In terms of the police response, how quickly did they get here and what were they able to recover from the scene. What can you share with us?”
Voice of: Grandmother
“Well the police were very quick, they came very fast because we have one of the police mobile at our lane and I know fi sure if they go into that camera and they look very well, they will see exactly who that person is.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.
