Gunshot victim tries to check himself out of hospital

The keen eyes of two police officers at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH) yesterday stopped 18-year-old shooting victim Michael Richards from checking himself out of the medical facility.

Richards, of Calliaqua, was shot on Saturday night while hanging out at the Road Side Bar in Diamond. He was one of eight persons rushed to the MCMH with gunshot wounds after gunmen sprayed the shop.

On Monday, Richards was witnessed sobbing outside the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the MCMH, after he learnt that Gregory Abraham, another victim of Saturday’s shooting, had died.

Richards, who was shot twice in the arm, and has to undergo surgery to remove a bullet, then went back to his station at the Male Surgical Ward, packed his things, dressed and then tried to leave the hospital without the consent of doctors.

When he approached the main gate and attempted to exit, he came to the attention of two police officers, who noticed that he still had a catheter attached to his arm.

The officers then escorted Richards back to the Male Surgical Ward and reported their finding to the nurses, who then escorted Richards back to his bed.

Richards, a van conductor, was shot less than a minute after he entered the shop, where he was planning to buy a bread and chicken meal.(LC)