Adrian Frater, News Editor
WESTERN BUREAU:
PERSONS AWAITING medical attention in the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Unit at the Cornwall Regional Hospital, in Montego Bay, had to flee for their lives early hours of yesterday morning as feuding thugs traded gunfire on the hospital's compound.
According to eyewitnesses, at about 2:30 a.m. a group of men, accompanying two companions, who had suffered stab wounds during a brawl at a downtown Montego Bay nightclub, were standing on the hospital compound discussing the incident when a white Toyota Corolla motor car pulled up and its occupants opened fire on them.
PANDEMONIUM
"The tinted car drive pass de man dem and stop in front of A&E. After a few moments, it started to reverse and the glass dem start roll down," an eyewitness told The Gleaner.
"Suddenly, me just start hear nuff shot start fire out of the car."
The eyewitness said pandemonium reigned inside and outside of the A&E department as the shots echoed around the compound. There was reportedly a mad rush as doctors, nurses, members of hospital security staff and persons awaiting medical attention scrambled to get out of the line of fire.
"When me a run me hear more shots and then me see the car speeding off," the witness continued. "When me go back down there, me realise sey nobody nuh get shot but me see a couple car shot up."
When The Gleaner visited the hospital yesterday afternoon, there was clear evidence of the shooting incident. A hospital car, bearing government plates, had a bullet hole in the lower section of the truck and there was a bullet hole under an air-condition unit, which is mounted on the wall of the department.
A staff member, who asked not to be identified, told The Gleaner that a taxi-operator, who was seated in his parked car outside the A&E department, was lucky to escape unhurt as one of the bullet punctured one of his car wheel.
The Mt. Salem Police, whose building is next door to the hospital, confirmed the shooting. According to the sergeant on duty, "We heard the shots but by the time we got there, the men had fled."
