Shot teen now stable after losing unborn baby, boyfriend

THE 16-year-old girl who lost her 21-year-old boyfriend and their unborn child to gun-violence on Wednesday and who was brought to hospital in a critical condition, is now said to be warded in a stable condition but doctors are still keeping a close eye on her.

The girl, her boyfriend Daniel Riley and another man – believed to be one of the gunmen – were all shot on Wednesday at the couple's home in Freeman Road, St Augustine which is just on the outskirts of the troubled Train Line community.

Riley and the gunman died at the scene while the teen was taken to hospital suffering with gunshot wounds to her neck and stomach. Doctors performed emergency surgery to remove the unborn baby after it stopped breathing.

Contacted for an update on Friday, Riley’s mother Helen Riley told Newsday the girl was now in a stable condition and doing as well as could be.

“That’s a good sign. It’s something to feel hopeful for. Although I lose my son and grand baby I still have her with us. When she is discharged I will will take care of her. She has to be safe because right now these men, whoever they are, are still out there,” Riley said.

At around 1.15 pm on Wednesday, a silver-coloured Nissan Tiida pulled up and gunmen got out and opened fire. Eyewitnesses later told police as the gunmen continued shooting, one of them fell to the ground.

The girl, who was eight months pregnant, was taken to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope.

Riley claimed that gunmen returned after the murder and shot up her home, made of converted shipping containers.

“Luckily, I moved my family out from there and we are somewhere safe now. We had to flee that area because it was not safe, not for me or anyone. I can’t go back there because I’m afraid," she said.

Over the last 15 years, Riley said, she took care of her family by selling vegetables from a small stall not too far from her former home in Freeman Road. Now that she has been forced to flee, she is worried about providing for her family trying to keep safe.

"I can’t trust anybody. I can’t go to the hospital. I’m hiding and staying low. We have no income but we will do what we have to do to make it," she said. Up to press time, no arrests were made and investigations are ongoing.