The Tribune

A MOTHER is breathing a sigh of relief after her son survived a shooting incident in the Nassau Village community over the weekend.

Police said shortly after 9pm Saturday, police received information about a man being shot at Stack Avenue, Nassau Village.

Upon arrival at the scene, responding officers found a man injured with gunshot wounds.

Police said he was taken to hospital by ambulance where he is listed in serious condition.

The victim was identified by close relatives yesterday as 39-year-old Aaron Smith, a father-of-two.

His mother, Sharon Butler, expressed gratitude to God for saving her son’s life, though she admits the road to recovery will be a long one.

“It has to be God. Just to see the condition he’s in. It has to be God because you see plenty don’t make it. . .and I’m right here praying in the word of God,” she told The Tribune yesterday.

Ms Butler, who was at work when the incident occurred, said she was told that her son had just left a nearby store in the community moments before he was shot.

She said: “I understand that my son just came out of one of the neighbour’s’s yard and he said he left to go and buy a dollar worth of cigarettes and as he get out the corner, I understand someone just start shooting at him and he went to the neighbour’s house and told them that someone had tried to kill him I understand he collapsed at the front door of the lady.”

The mother said her son, who was shot several times in the face, could be paralysed if he survives the ordeal.

“The doctor told me that he got shot to his neck, underneath the chin and the back of his right ear and his two shoulders which they allowed me to see those wounds and he told me and pulled me on the side and told me that my son have a slight chance of making it, but he said if he do survive, he would be paralysed and he would have loss of speech and maybe hearing or blindness because of the injuries,” Ms Butler said.

“He said that some of the arteries have been damaged with the X-ray they already took and he said they were waiting on the surgeon to come and take him into the theatre and operate on him. . .Right now, I don’t know his condition because I just reach from the hospital and I came here to work because he was still in surgery – and they told me it would be critical after this (surgery) so I haven’t heard anything from them and right now that’s all i know, but I’m praying.”

Ms Butler said several suspects have since been arrested in connection with the incident.

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call police at 919, 502-9991 or Crime Stoppers at 329 (TIPS) 8474 .