Five-year-old shot twice in attack on her house

A West Kingston mother is thankful to see her five-year-old daughter smile again after being shot twice in a violent gun attack at her home around 7 on Wednesday night.

A second victim, a 32-year-old man, was shot in the upper body and had to be admitted to hospital.

The child's mother described the events as nerve-racking. "Mi nearly lose mi mind. The five minutes weh mi hear it tek fi wi reach di hospital a di longest and most painful five minutes inna mi life," she said.

Police reports are that the victims were inside their house when they were pounced upon by a lone gunman who opened gunfire in the house. The gunman then fled on foot in the area.

"Mi just affi give thanks because it could be worst. When him fire di fuss set a shots mi a pray inna mi mind say 'God, do mek di gun stuck and no come on again'," she said.

The woman said that the gun apparently jammed, and the shooter, who was in their house, beat a hasty retreat. He, however, stood in the yard and again opened fire. That was when the baby was hit.

"When mi hear mi dawta cry out, mi look pon her and tell her to stay one place because she would have to step over mi babyfather, who did deh pon di ground a bleed. But by time mi move off to go get har, di man come back and fire three shots," she said. Two of the bullets flew through both of the toddler's arms.

"Mi deh yah a say look how mi dawta could a dead. And it happen inna mi house too. Fi wah? Mi just affi give thanks because it could be worst," the mother said.

"She was standing right in front the window and the gunman a look straight at her. When mi look mi see say she blood up. Mi grab har up same time and start to scream. Mi don't even know a who get the car, mi only hear somebody say a car outside," she said. Luckily, the bullets did not do any major damage to the child.

"All now mi no fully recover. If mi traumatise over the issue like this, imagine mi five-year-old dawta? Mi would never want to relive this again," the mother said.