A 15-year-old pupil who was shot in the leg last Wednesday when a masked man opened fire at a group selling ackees at Belmont Road, has said he was too scared to return to the summertime money-making venture.
Here the injured student shows where the bullet landed.
The teenager told Barbados TODAY that while he did not recall much about what happened on that day, he remembered the man pointing the gun at him and pulling the trigger at least three times, before he felt a burning sensation in his leg.
He indicated that he then ran to his grandmother’s house nearby, from where he was transported to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for treatment.
“I just happy to be here today. It could be worse,” said the boy, who pledged to give up selling the fruit.
The student, who was being supervised by his uncle when the shooting took place, said he was not involved in any wrongdoing that would have caused him to be shot.
Barbados TODAY was told that prior to the shooting, a man was seen complaining that the youngsters had occupied his location.
His mother, who asked that her name not be published, said while she would not swear for her child, she was shocked at the shooting. She added that she did not believe the bullet was intended for her son because he was not one to get into trouble.
The mother said the teen seemed to be handling the horror well, although he sometimes had nightmares.
“He is not getting on like he has a gunshot wound; he is just not sleeping at night and is saying that he is seeing the image of the guy, she explained.’
Meanwhile, the woman, who said that her son and the group of youngsters were trying to make an honest dollar, has called on parents to discourage their children from selling ackees, especially without supervision.
“The receptionist [at her workplace] told me that her son who is also 15 wants to sell ackees, and I told her not to let him do it.
“I know it is summer and children want to have fun and make extra money, but keep your children close to you,” she said.