Family seeks help for San Fernando woman hit by stray bullet

Almost two months after being hit by a stray bullet, life has not returned to normal for Rampiarie Parbhoo.

Her children are worried and are calling on the authorities to intervene and provide counselling for her. They said Parbhoo, once cheerful and full of life, is withdrawn and sad.

On October 27 Parbhoo, 65, was asleep in her one-room home at Picton Street, Diamond Village, San Fernando. A bullet passed through the front door in a drive-by shooting and hit her in the abdomen.

The bullet is still inside her. Relatives said because of where the bullet was, medical staff said it would be risky to operate and are waiting for the position of the bullet to change.

Vidya Parbhoo said, “My mother was a jolly woman who was always laughing and talking.

"Now she is a different person. She is now sad and withdrawn after the incident. She cries every day.

"We talk to her daily to let her know that everything will be okay, but it does not work. Apart from having a bullet still in her, my mother needs professional help now.”

Vidya said she and her siblings feel helpless watching their mother suffer each day. Parbhoo, the grandmother of 20, has been staying at her daughter's house.

“Since the incident, she has not moved back into her home. The bullet holes in the door are still there. She is afraid.

"My mother did not deserve this, she is one of the kindest and (most) loving people you will ever meet. She is already struggling financially. Now she has to deal with being shot.”

Vidya said the family cannot even afford to change the front door of her mother’s house, now punctured by bullet holes.

"My mother does not have the money to buy a new door and we are also struggling to make ends meet.”

Ten years ago, she said, her mother signed up for a grant from the National Commission for Self Help to do repairs to her home, which is still in deplorable condition.

"My mother is still awaiting a response."

“It is too much for my mother to bear. I wish we were financially stable to help her. This is killing me, because I know she was worried about her living conditions, and now being shot for no reason has added to her burdens."

Police have questioned several people about the shooting, but no arrests have been made.

Vidya Parbhoo can be contacted at 272-2788.