The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

A TEN-year-old boy who left home to purchase food was shot and injured on Friday.

He was one of four people — including two juveniles — who were shot and injured in separate incidents since Thursday.

Another juvenile, a 15-year-old, was shot on Thursday.

Following the news of the children being shot, Free National Movement Senator Maxine Seymour expressed concerns about crime, particularly against juveniles, calling it “disheartening”.

According to police, around 1am on Friday, a ten-year-old boy was shot by occupants of an orange vehicle while in the area of Lyon Road. He received injuries to his right leg and was listed in stable condition.

The victim is Davantai Strachan, a fourth-grade student at Uriah McPhee Primary School.

In an interview with this newspaper on Friday, Davantai said he was going to purchase food for himself and his grandmother, with whom he lives, when he was hit by stray bullets.

“I was going to get food because my grammy only cooked rice and then I went to buy some wings so me and her could eat the rice and chicken,” he said.

“Then when I was walking back, because plenty people was in front of me by the food place, so I walk back home, and all I heard was ‘bam bam’. Then my foot got shoot, and I kicked off my shoes and then I run.”

Davanti said he ran to a neighbour’s house for assistance, adding that he was scared. The boy’s mother, Carametta Butler, declined to comment, however, she expressed gratitude he survived the incident as she has already lost two of her seven children.

Ms Butler is also the mother of the seven-year-old girl who died in September last year after a swing set collapsed on her.

Although seen limping and having to rely on crutches, Davanti, a resident of the Freetown community, remains in high spirits.

Another child was shot on Windsor Lane shortly after 7.30pm on Thursday. Police said a 15-year-old boy and a group of people were outside in a community setting when a lone gunman, dressed in dark clothing opened fire on the group.

In an attempt to flee, the victim was shot in his lower torso, but later taken to the hospital in a private vehicle. At last report, he was in stable condition.

On Friday, Senator Seymour said the news was saddening.

“I’m not happy at all,” she said.

“We have to be able to protect our children of this nation, I mean at ten and 15 years old you certainly should not be nursing gunshot wounds and so there needs to be a harsher penalty.”

She continued: “We need clear plans in terms of addressing the crime situation, especially impacting our women, children, and our men because the reality is that when a man is hurt, the whole family is hurt because that man is the provider and involved with the family.

“But it’s very disheartening to me and very frustrating and I’m so moved, knowing that a ten-year-old was shot, a 15-year-old in a separate incident, like what is going on in our country, when children can’t just be children.”

As a mother of four, Ms Seymour sympathised with the parents of both victims, saying more must be done to make the country a “safer place”.

Police also reported that shortly after 5am on Saturday, a 39-year-old male resident of Sandilands Village was approached by two gunmen who ordered him to give up his vehicle.

The victim resisted and was shot multiple times about the body. The suspects then fled the scene on foot and the victim was taken to hospital by a private vehicle where he is listed in serious condition.

Shortly before 10pm on Thursday, a man was shot and robbed of his 2022 Crypton motorcycle in the area of Cockburn Street. However, police later located the stolen motorcycle in the immediate area, and also pursued occupants of a white Japanese vehicle who may have been responsible for the incident.

One suspect was taken into custody while the victim remains in stable condition.