Rose Hall man on six months suspended sentence

A young man who pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm at another, and who alleged that he did so because the victim cut down his field of crops, has been given a suspended jail sentence.

Ralston Samuel, 25, of Rose Hall was sentenced four days after he pleaded guilty on February 7 to discharging a firearm at Dwight Cyrus of Troumaca and to assaulting Cyrus by pointing a gun at him.

He was also charged with possessing a 12-gauge bullet without a license, but was acquitted on that charge.

The incidents of discharge of a firearm and assault go back to October 23, 2019, when at about 6 am, Samuel went to Cyrus’ house and after an exchange of words, Samuel took out a gun, pointed it at Cyrus and said, “Ah mind to come over in your yard and shoot you.”

After a while, Samuel left and Cyrus reported the matter to the police. However, later that day, at 2:30 pm Cyrus was seated at a shop in Troumaca, among other villagers. Samuel came onto scene and approached him. Standing approximately 40 ft away, Samuel is said to have called out to Cyrus, and the two began arguing. Samuel took out a shotgun, pointed it at Cyrus and discharged it. The 25-year-old left after this. No one received any injuries.

The police visited the scene and removed a projectile that was lodged in the wall of the shop. Samuel was arrested on October 29, 2019, and he had been in jail since then.

Samuel, who had no previous criminal record, told Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne that Cyrus and his brother had chopped down his field of crops.

He also mentioned that he had applied to go sailing.

The magistrate told him he was very young to possibly be on a murder charge. She asked “What you going to say? Sorry?” She told him that firearm offences were serious.

Browne also noted that the situation could have been avoided, and that Cyrus was amongst other people. She told him that he could have cooled off after the morning incident but instead he went back to “mess up your whole future.”

Days later, Samuel was sentenced to time served for the assault, and was given a jail sentence of six months, suspended for six months for the discharge of the firearm.