Eugene Woodside, who was shot dead on Monday as he did his homework.
By SANCHESKA DORSETT
Tribune Staff Reporter
sdorsett@tribunemedia.net
THE pregnant mother of the boy who was shot dead in his home by a stray bullet as he did his homework said she would have never imagined having to bury her son as she prepares to give birth.
Kendera Woodside’s eight-year-old son Eugene died in hospital shortly after he was shot while studying with his older sister at their Chippingham home Monday evening.
In an interview with The Tribune moments after identifying her son’s body at the Princess Margaret Hospital morgue, Mrs Woodside described how she crawled on the floor as bullets penetrated her home, in a failed effort to shield her boy.
Mrs Woodside, who is currently seven months pregnant with her third child, said the pain she feels losing her only son is “indescribable” and “unimaginable”. She said her only peace comes from knowing she was able to tell him “I love you” one last time before he “closed his eyes for good”.
Eugene was shot once in the chest while practising his spelling words with his sister Monday evening.
The third grade student at Albury Sales Primary was rushed to hospital in a private vehicle, but died a short time after his arrival.
A man, the intended victim believed to be in his twenties, also died in hospital after the double shooting. He has been identified by a source as Dennis Moss.
The brazen daytime attack in the densely populated area came after the shooter chased his intended target, running between houses in the Rosebud Street area as he fired several shots, one of which penetrated a wooden structure and its sheetrock, striking the child.
The killings took the country’s murder count to105 for the year, according to The Tribune’s records.
Mrs Woodside, a hair stylist, described her son as a “quiet” but “loving and friendly” child. She said she still can’t believe that her son is gone and as she prepares to give birth to one child, she has to prepare to bury another.
“He was in the room learning his words with his sister when we heard the shots ring out,” Mrs Woodside recalled as tears rolled down her face.
“The next thing we knew, he was on the floor with a bullet in his chest that stopped in his back. Me, him, his sister and his dad was in the house at the time. I crept over to him when I heard the shots. He was sitting down and I saw him moving kind of funny then I noticed the blood coming from his chest and he screamed to my daughter “help me.” I held him and I said “Baby, you know mommy loves you right?” and he said “Yes, mommy, I love you too” and then he closed his eyes. We rushed him to the hospital but by the time we got there he had already stopped breathing. We couldn’t get there in time, even with a traffic officer helping us get there. This isn’t real. I am pregnant with one and just lose the next. He was my baby, he was my only son.”
Police have no motive for the shooting and no suspects in custody.
Newly elected Member of Parliament for Fort Charlotte Mark Humes said crime in the area has got increasingly worse over the years and he plans to implement new initiatives to give the residents “peace of mind.”
“Anytime you have any sort of killing it is a concern in particular where innocent persons fall victim like the eight year old,” he said.
“Fort Charlotte is typically a peaceful area, we never had this type of violence in this area. It seems like all of a sudden in the past year and a half the crime got out of control. It is extremely concerning for the residents and for myself. So I have been meeting with community leaders to organise and reach out to young men in the area in an effort to assist them with issues that may be plaguing them.”
The boy’s death comes more than a month after an eight-month-old boy was killed in his Bain and Grants Town home. His mother and father were also shot during that attack but survived the incident.
Anyone with information on any of these homicides is asked to contact police at 911 or 919, the Central Detective Unit at 502-9991 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 328-TIPS.
Investigations continue.
Comments
gbgal 6 years, 7 months ago
My heart is breaking as I read this. Praying for his family especially his mother.
Fitmiss 6 years, 7 months ago
This story really touches close to home. I have an eight year old son. I cannot even fathom the pain. Lord please comfort this family. I pray that this spirit of murder, retaliation and just lawlessness will be removed from this land. I hope if anyone saw something they will step forward. Do not shield these thugs. Somebody's good child took out two other people.
John 6 years, 7 months ago
When a person is hanged for murder he is put in a wooden box, hastily constructed and stained, and buried as a pauper. No church funeral. No setting up. No marked grave. Family and friends have to share in the shame of his indignity and cowardly act. They get feel some of the pain of having a family taken away in an inhumane, instant and undignified manner. Capital punishment is more than putting someone to death, hence the effectiveness.
DDK 6 years, 7 months ago
Bring it!
DDK 6 years, 7 months ago
Mr. Humes' remarks seem meaningless. What damned initiatives does he have planned? This is absolutely gut-wrenching. May poor Eugene rest in peace. Prayers for the poor family.
jus2cents 6 years, 7 months ago
IN TEARS FOR THIS FAMILY AND FOR THE NATION. Again, I send my Deepest Condolences to the family.
Can we make this the end of these senseless acts of violence.
Grow Up Bahamas!
Baha10 6 years, 7 months ago
I can not stop crying, nor should I, as WE (all of us) have failed, not just the Politicians to develop a "normal" Country that we can "live in", much less be proud of, indeed we should drop all Flags and other forms of patriotism and hold our collective heads in shame.
Sickened 6 years, 7 months ago
The person who shot this boy should be ripped to shreds - literally. Any punishment given to this murderer is FAR TOO LIGHT!
Sickened 6 years, 7 months ago
Society nor the police should be surprised when the next criminal, who when caught in the act, is beaten to a pulp by onlookers. Swift justice is coming either through the courts or by society as a whole.
Emac 6 years, 7 months ago
Very, very sad. My condolences to the family.
Economist 6 years, 7 months ago
Oh my Bahamas, what has to happen before we come together and stop this senseless violence?
So sad, so tragic!
OldFort2012 6 years, 7 months ago
The Police know who these people are. They might not have proof, but they know. They need to do something. And I do not mean investigate. I mean get rid of the problem. All of the problems. The Tongue is plenty deep enough.
Sickened 6 years, 7 months ago
I fear that your suggestion may be our only hope to rid our society of this scourge.
John2 6 years, 7 months ago
I Blame all the escalating Crime in the Bahamas on soft political leaders we have had since the year 2000. My fellow readers, have you ever head of crime in CUBA or North Korea. I am not aadvocating for us to adopt a communist or totalatarian system of government but i am simply ssaying Fear is not in the criminal element in this country and until we put Fear back in all of the criminal element is this society, crime will continue to escalate.How do we put fear back in the criminals. HANG, CASTRATE, CAT-O-NINE TAIL ...F#K the human rights groups,F#K the privy council in london...Politicians get some balls and make it happen. The average criminal running around in this country was either not born, or a child when the last hanging took place.So ask your selves people....where is the FEAR going to come from in them ...IT simply does not exist
UserOne 6 years, 6 months ago
Since 2000? Crime has been out of control long before 2000.
ashley14 6 years, 6 months ago
Totally Agree! Law enforcement has to crack down! Such a sad story. What a horrific act from these thugs.
ashley14 6 years, 6 months ago
Sending love and prayers for this families healing! I can't imagine your loss of such a wonderful young man.
TigerB 6 years, 7 months ago
Agreed John, everyone who comes into power say they have the solution, but no fear. Ill bet this clown who pull the trigger is under 20 years old!
Gotoutintime 6 years, 7 months ago
What has this Country come to!!
Baha10 6 years, 6 months ago
Following my earlier Post, I have thought long and hard about where we are at, starting with THE FACT that our Police Force has failed to protect us.
We need a Plan whereby we bring in Scotland Yard, together with Armed Mercenaries under "their direction" with a "shoot to kill" Licence. Yes, this is extreme and there will be innocent casualties, but those numbers will be far less than the current scenario and certainly more Bad Guys will be eliminated than is currently the case.
Those not killed, but taken alive, should be tried within 48 hrs by a specially appointed Court of retired English Judges with no axe to grind and upon conviction, hung within 24 hrs in a public place in the Neigborhoods from where they hail and their bodies disposed of at the Dump and burnt among old tyres without ceremony of any description.
Harsh, but I guarantee effective with positive results demonstrated virtually immediately.
Call it "The Eugene Woodside Plan", so whenever someone reckons how outrageous the Plan is they are reminded as to why extreme measures were required.
OldFort2012 6 years, 6 months ago
I am afraid your plan is very bad for business. It requires a State of Emergency which suspends the Constitution and habeas corpus and gives emergency powers to these judges, etc. It is a VERY public affair which would be picked up by every news organization in the world and we would be the subject of endless negative press comment and reporting. No tourist would dare come to the Bahamas under those circumstances. While I am not in tourism and might not care as it does not affect me, plenty of people would be affected and the country has to live. Why give these people the power to not only terrorise the population but also to bankrupt them? Simply pick them up at 2am and take them for a short boat ride. Nice and quiet like. They would soon get the message.
Sickened 6 years, 6 months ago
Although I do like Bana's plan I think yours is better. Nice and quiet like... perfect! A hundred or so missing persons in a one/two month span - no press, no biggie! If family members kick up a fuss then just ask them where these kids worked and what they did all day - crickets and birds chirping is all you'll here.
ConcernedCitizen242BHS 6 years, 6 months ago
Solution for reducing crime & deterring criminal activity:
1) Create a new maximum security, Bahamas led and designed prison on one of our more isolated islands 2) Begin upskilling & training the current resources of able bodied Bahamian men held within the existing prisons to be able to work as skilled, building construction labour on the new prison site 3) Create new job opportunities for boatmen or aircrafts to be able to bring supplies to and from the new prison facilities
...
We really need to look at more effective and humane ways of preventing persons from wanting to stray off the straight and narrow path. And ideally we need to foster a better society based on togetherness where there are contributing members who believe in playing an active role role in our much better tomorrow.
Rise up Bahamaland!
Honestman 6 years, 6 months ago
Marvin Dames has been in office long enough now. What is his plan for eradicating the armed scum that is inflicting so much terror across The Bahamas? Is his tactic just to let them kill each other? That would be fine except innocent people are being caught up in the cross fire. Dames needs to come up with something better - the status quo is unacceptable. Sincere condolences to the the family of the young boy.
ConcernedCitizen242BHS 6 years, 6 months ago
Solution for reducing crime & deterring criminal activity: 1) Create a new maximum security, Bahamas led and designed prison on one of our more isolated islands 2) Begin upskilling & training the current resources of able bodied Bahamian men held within the existing prisons to be able to work as skilled, building construction labour on the new prison site 3) Create new job opportunities for boatmen or aircrafts to be able to bring supplies to and from the new prison facilities ... We really need to look at more effective and humane ways of preventing persons from wanting to stray off the straight and narrow path. And ideally we need to foster a better society based on togetherness where there are contributing members who believe in playing an active role role in our much better tomorrow. Rise up Bahamaland!
John 6 years, 6 months ago
I must salute the police's plea for persons to turn in the killers of this young boy and who also killed the other young male. Maybe it is time that when tragedies like this happen, multiple killings especially, every single radio station in the country devote a part of their broadcast day highlighting the incident and pleading for the persons responsible for the crime to turn themselves in. And also begging persons who may have witnessed the crime or know who the criminals are to turn them in. Even if they even have some small tidbit of information that may point the police's investigation in the direction of the killer. Society must against crime and criminals. Make it so uncomfortable for these persons to be on the run. So impossible for them to hide Send a loud and clear message that the community will not shield you, they will not hide you, they will not share the bloodshed that is on your hands and, in fact, some may even seek vengence against you, so better you turn your self in. better still send a clear message to those out there who are contemplating murder, rape, robbery or any other serious crime will think twice because you won't get away. society will not cloak you. They will help bring you to justice. WE had enough and you will not run free.
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