A young man who was shot in the head on Thursday in Castries was rushed back to hospital yesterday afternoon – several hours after he was sent home.
Nicholas William, 20, of Morne Du Don, Castries sustained gunshot wounds to the back of the head in Bois Patat on Thursday, shortly after 10 p.m. Two other males who were in his company escaped injuries when they fled as the shots were being fired.
Nicholas was admitted to Victoria Hospital in serious but stable condition, though a police press release indicated that his condition was “critical”.
His sister, Shala William, told St. Lucia News Online (SNO) on Saturday that her brother was treated and discharged around mid-morning Friday, less than 12 hours after he was shot. He did an x-ray before he was released, she said.
“The nurse said there is nothing they can do. We were given a list of the symptoms of head trauma and what to expect…. They said the bullet is out, it was under the skin,” Shala said.
The hospital also advised the family to return Nicholas to the hospital if his condition worsens.
And that’s exactly what they did Friday afternoon at about 5:30 p.m. – about five hours after his release – when his health deteriorated.
“He was in a lot of pain, he was throwing up and his eyes were turning over. He said he couldn’t take it anymore, to bring him back. He is now admitted and is on drips,” the sister said.
Relatives are now awaiting the results of a CT scan that was done on Nicholas at about 9 pm. Friday at Tapion Hospital. The CT scan will show if William has any underlying issues in the brain, particularly bleeding and swelling.
His family is concerned that a CT scan was not ordered when he was first admitted. They’re always concerned that Victoria Hospital, the main public hospital in St. Lucia, is yet to have its own CT scan machine.
Meanwhile, in regards to the shooting incident, the family believes Nicholas was an innocent victim.
Shala said her brother, who is unemployed, was not involved in any gangs or criminal activity, and may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“He is always up and down, up and down… If they wanted to do something before they would have done it,” she noted.
On the night of the shooting, Nicholas was reportedly listening to music on his headphones, under a tree, when gunmen fired several shots in his direction. The perpetrators carried out the attack from the back of the victims.
While two other males ran after the shots were fired, Nicholas didn’t, because according to his sister, he didn’t hear anything.
Nicholas fell after being shot in the head. He sustained bruises to his face as a result of the fall.
That shooting occurred just over an hour after gunmen opened fire on two young males in nearby Blackstars. One of the victims, Curtis Charlery, 18, of Morne Du Don died, while he other, Armani Paul, was admitted in critical condition.
The William family believes the perpetrators of the Blackstars shooting were the same trigger men in Nicholas’s incident.
They believe Nicholas and the other men were attacked because they were located along the possible escape route of the gunmen.
Police have not formally arrested anyone for either shooting incidents.
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