Monique Edwards, Gleaner WriterTHE SHOOTING death of Dr. Ken Nanton, 29, prompted the closure of the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department of the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), for three hours yesterday.
Dr. Nanton, a native of the Eastern Caribbean state of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, was shot and killed about 11:00 p.m. Thursday night on Skyline Drive in Jacks Hill, St. Andrew. He was attached to the Accident and Emergency Department at the UHWI.
ROBBED OF ITEMS
The doctor, who was reportedly with a nurse who is stationed at the UHWI, was robbed of a pendant, a wallet containing an undetermined sum of money and a cell phone valued at $10,000. He was relieved of the items before being ordered out of the vehicle.
He had reportedly attempted to drive from the scene when the lone gunman opened fire hitting him in the left armpit, right side, breast, back of the left shoulder and twice in the region of the upper right arm. His female companion escaped without injury, Sergeant Vevento Hutchinson of the Papine Police Station told The Gleaner.
INCREASINGLY VIOLENT
Sergeant Hutchinson noted that the Jacks Hill area has seen an increase in violent crimes in the last year.
He said: "Lookout (in Jacks Hill) is an area where a lot of people go to cool out in the evenings. I wouldn't say it is frequented by thieves but the whole Jacks Hill area has got so bad it is harder to police."
Up to yesterday, 62 persons had been killed violently across the island since the start of the year.
Efforts to reach Stephanie Reid, chief executive officer at the UHWI, were unsuccessful
as she was said to be meeting with with staff and other medical personnel about the incident.
The office of the CEO, however, reported that the closing of the Accident and Emergency Ward was not in protest of the killing but to give the staff an opportunity to get over the shock.
A security guard at the institution confirmed that all staff members were in shock.
"Dem shook up, dem nervous. Dem don't want want to talk to anybody right now. From last night when dem hear about it, people jus' have tears running down dem face," he said through the padlocked grills of the Accident and Emergency Ward. The A&E Department will resume normal duties on Monday.
