Men say they don’t know why they were attacked

The two men shot by an unidentified assailant(s), 200 yards from the security booth at the Buccament Bay Resort on Friday, say they do not know why they were attacked.{{more}}

“I have never done anybody anything to deserve this,” Lassel Hamilton, a 51-year-old supervisor of Fairhall, told SEARCHLIGHT yesterday.

Hamilton received a gunshot to each of his knees during the attack.

“Where the fellow was, he was hiding away in bush … and I coulda been walking up there. Sometimes I alone walk up the road. I coulda been a dead man,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton and his employer, subcontractor Andrew Nanton, 32, of Lower Questelles, were injured in the attack.

Nanton received bullets to his right hand, neck, and back and said the attack “could be” a robbery.

Asked if he ever had difficulties with employees that might have resulted in the attack, Nanton said:

“Well, there have been some disgruntled ones, as usual. Because you explain to people from the beginning that it’s Buccament and they have problems in paying.

“Everybody say they don’t have a problem with it until it actually becomes a reality and everybody gets upset when they realise that the money might take a lot longer than anticipated.

“… I cannot pay an employee before the company pays me and I explain that to them before hiring them and tell them, ‘If you know you cannot work with the situation, don’t start, because this is the situation.’ And they normally say ‘No problem’ — because they want something to do. And when it becomes a reality, it becomes a problem,” Nanton further said.

He said that while he has laid off employees, their partings were pleasant.

“… they didn’t pose any threat, they didn’t come back with any violence or anything. Because I just laid them off peacefully. I wasn’t aggressive with them,” he said.

Hamilton told SEARCHLIGHT that not only does he live “loving[ly] with everybody”, but he also shares with them his experience of being a prisoner for seven years.

“I don’t have no enemy down there. … the most I do down there is make my little joke,” said the father of ten, who was jailed about 20 years ago.

“I don’t disrespect people, I don’t cuss people. I don’t get in talking with anybody. And I surprise this happen to me …

“… When the fellows getting on with their stupidness, their ignorance, I say, ‘I went to prison and I can share my experience with you all. Prison is not a nice place.’”

Hamilton said he is considering quitting the job.

“My kneecap mash up, I can’t walk again in a hurry. Look, I have a steel in my foot …” he said, adding, “… if I get back perfect, I might think about it (continuing the job) because I have a family.”

Meanwhile, his boss said that he would not quit because of the attack.

Asked if he plans to take steps to protect himself, Nanton said:

“I haven’t thought about that yet.”

(kentonchance@searchlight.vc)