Ste Madeleine thief shoots himself during attempted robbery

A man who tried to rob a Princes Town fruit vendor at gunpoint on Tuesday afternoon shot himself during a scuffle. The incident happened at the stall, on the roadside at M1 Tasker Road near Ste Madeleine.

The injured criminal ran off empty-handed, leaving behind a bag of fruit which he earlier bought from his unsuspecting victim. He also left behind his slippers and a hat.

The victim, Ryan Seewah, 35, recalled that at about 4 pm on Tuesday he was selling when two young men arrived on foot. When the customer drove off, one of the two men bought a bag of fruit, including bananas, apples and a pineapple.

They began walking away, but one returned and asked for a cigarette.He then announced a robbery and pointed a gun at Seewah. They began to fight, and the gun went off.

“I ran off and he ran off too," said Seewah. "A short while after, I saw blood and a trail. The two men left running in the direction they came from,”

“They did not get a chance to take anything. I do not sell cigarettes.”

He contacted Southern Division police. They later intercepted a car with three male occupants, including one with a gunshot wound.

The injured man was taken to the San FernandoGeneral Hospital and the two others were assisting police with investigations up to Wednesday.