A computerized tomography (CT) scan has shown that a bullet is still lodged in the head of Nicholas William, relatives have told St Lucia News Online (SNO).
The 20-year-old Morne Du Don, Castries resident was shot in the head last Thursday in Bois Patat, Castries, shortly after 10 p.m.
Nicholas was treated and discharged from Victoria Hospital around mid-morning Friday, less than 12 hours after he was shot.
Relatives said they were told that there is nothing else they could do about Nicholas’s wounds, and upon discharging him, gave a list of the symptoms of head trauma and what to expect, while advising the family to return to the hospital if his condition worsens.
Nicholas was brought back to the hospital on Friday afternoon at about 5:30 – about five hours after his release – when his health deteriorated.
A CT scan was done on Nicholas at Tapion Hospital later that night and the results were obtained yesterday (Monday).
The victim’s sister, Shala William, told SNO that the scan shows that the bullet is lodged in the back of her brother’s head.
“I spoke to my sister. She says the doctor told her where it (the bullet) is, it can’t harm him.” she said.
But the family is puzzled as to why the hospital discharged Nicholas without a CT scan.
“I’m saying if the doctor knew it can’t be removed why we were not told about it. I don’t think they want to remove it… They say it can’t harm him,” Shala said. “We have to find out out from different specialists to see what can be done.”
The family initially believed the bullet was removed.
“When he was discharged, he was vomiting and in pain. When we brought him back, they ordered the scan to be done. We were not told the results. My sister went to Tapion and that’s how we found out. Yes, they said it was under the skin. My brother thought it was removed,” Shala added.
The family is hoping to get better info later today.
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.
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