-hospitalized shooter under guard
Two teenaged boys shot outside the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue on Tuesday night are to undergo surgery today to remove the bullets lodged in their bodies, while the alleged shooter who was badly beaten after the incident remains unconscious in intensive care.
Yesterday Dwayne Wharton, 17, of West Ruimveldt, who was shot in the foot and Terrence Edwards, 15, of Charlestown, who sustained a gunshot wound to the buttocks, were resting in the ward of the Georgetown Hospital. Both boys were sent home after being treated and were told to return to the Georgetown Hospital yesterday for follow up treatment.
When Stabroek News spoke to Edwards at his home the day after the incident, the wound was bleeding and he was in pain. His mother Gailann said yesterday that an X-Ray and blood tests were done and the bullet is lodged about three to four inches from the entry point. She said that when she arrived at the hospital she informed the doctor that the wound was still bleeding and that her son was in pain. Gailann explained that the doctor decided to admit him since the surgery was scheduled for today.
Another boy, Jomel Thomas, 17, of West Ruimveldt, who was shot in the chest, was discharged yesterday. The bullet is still lodged. He had been admitted a patient of the High Dependency Unit before being moved to the open ward.
When Stabroek News contacted him, he was reluctant to recount the incident but said that he was discharged because the area where the bullet was lodged was swollen. According to him, he had to return at a later date to have it removed from his body.
Meanwhile, owner of White Castle Fish Shop Jermaine Langevine, who was said to have fired the shots, is still unresponsive in the Intensive Care Unit of a city hospital. Stabroek News was told that there is bleeding and swelling in his brain. He was beaten repeatedly in the head in an apparent retaliatory attack after the shooting.
This newspaper understands that he is handcuffed to his bed and is under police guard. His brother, Jason, who also sustained injuries and Oriely Small, who was also shot outside the gymnasium, are still hospitalized as well.
Police said in a press statement that around 23:20 hrs on Tuesday five male persons sustained gunshot injuries at the National Gymnasium, where they were attending a football final. An argument ensued between Small and the suspect, who had sponsored one of the teams in the Inter-pub football final, over a wager. Police said another man handed the suspect a gun which he fired several times into a crowd standing outside the gymnasium, resulting in injuries to the spectators. He subsequently fled the scene. The statement added that some time later the suspect was accosted by another man who assaulted him and was admitted to a city hospital as a result.
The other teen shot was Jason Marks, 17, of West Ruimveldt, who sustained a gunshot wound to the foot.
Many fans had flocked to the gymnasium to witness the final between the White Castle Fish Shop and Terrence Bar, which brought the curtains down on the competition that started earlier this month.
