Man survives five gunshots

A 21-year-old man who was hit five times during a drive-by shooting which claimed the life of his younger brother is now appealing to Jamaicans to put down the guns and place greater care for each other's lives.

"I would really want the youth them to stop the senseless killing. They need to realise that each person life matter and each man get their chance to be on Earth and each person deserve the chance to live free, as long as they are not committing any crime. People must live in peace until God ready for them," he said.

A mi fuss get shot

On the day he was shot, the man said he accompanied his brother to downtown Kingston to conduct their family's business. He said that he only heard his brother ask "a who dis?" moments before a group of gunmen exited a motor car and began to shoot at them.

"By time mi look round, a man mi see wid gun. A mi fuss get shot ina di same time when mi likkle bredda push mi out the way," the victim said. "See after him push mi out di way, di man dem start spray him wid shot ... one a di shot dem fly through mi foot, so that mek mi couldn't move on the ground. After di gunman dem kill mi bredda, mi only hear one a dem say 'a who dem yute yah?'. Then another one say 'mek sure him no live'. So one a dem come over mi and shoot mi three times ina mi bottom," he said.

The victim said he pretended to be dead and waited a few seconds after the shooters drove off before trying to escape.

"Mi start get cold pon di ground. Mi start think bout mi sons dem and say to miself 'mi cyah dead lef dem'. Mi never get a chance to even look pon mi bredda because mi know him couldn't survive dem amount of gunshot deh, so mi did affi pretend like mi dead when dem come over mi and shot mi. A when di car drive off, mi find the strength fi get up and run go straight to the hospital," he said.

Psychological scar

The man said that the ordeal, which lasted less than a minute, has left an immeasurable psychological scar for him and his family.

"Everybody is shaken up. We never ina nutten wid nobody yet, so wi no know weh dis a come from. It is just a sad case of wrong place, at the wrong time. Even though mi grateful for life, mi wish a did me push mi bredda out the way," he said.

Over the past few weeks, there has been a flare up of violence in Kingston and St Andrew. Last week, Police Commissioner Major General Antony Anderson said that the police would roll out its Quick Response Team in the Corporate Area in order to stop the bloodshed.