Monday, June 9, 2008

"FATMAN GONE, NO MORE FATMAN"

It's really sad news that a five month old baby (according to which report you read or listen to) is shot to death.
What is happening to our lovely country?
The distraught mother of "Fatman" has to mourn for a child she knew for such a short time.
What do you call a mother who has lost a child?

But in the midst of our questions for the security forces on how they will stem the crime wave, we also have questions for the reporters who continue to give us different versions of the same story.

According to Denyse Renne of the Express, "Police say both father and son were seated in a car around 7.45 p.m. at Pump Trace, Laventille, awaiting the driver of the car who had gone into some nearby bushes to urinate, when two men approached the car and started shooting. The shooters then ran off.
The younger Jones' cries pierced the area and the driver ran back to the car, where he drove to the Port of Spain General Hospital."

But Nalinee Seelal of the Newsday writes: "At about 9.30 pm on Saturday, Jones, a construction worker, called a taxi driver he knew to take him and the child to his girlfriend’s Morvant home.
On reaching Picton Road, Laventille, at about 10 pm, the driver stopped to urinate.
Police reports revealed that a lone gunman emerged from bushes and pointed the gun at point blank range at Jones, whose son Zion, also lovingly called “Fatman”, was asleep in his arms."

And here's the version according to the Guardian's Camille Clarke: "Both Jones and his son Zion, affectionately called Fatman, were shot around 9.30 pm on Saturday, when they were about to enter a taxi on Picton Road in Laventille.
Police said Jones, 25, of Beverly Hills, Laventille, and his son fell into the car after being shot."

Well according to Miss Renne, here's what the child's grandmother said: "Beatrice said she received the news around 8 p.m. while out with her other children and rushed to the hospital with Deena."

Miss Seelal also tells us that "An eyewitness told police investigators that the assailant fired nine shots at Jones striking him in the chest, hands and shoulders. Baby Zion, was shot in the chest, arms and legs. The gunman then fled the scene."

While Miss Renne tells us that "Jones, 25, who was shot in the chest, leg and face, died on arrival,...", and ""When we got there bandages were wrapped around his (Zion's) feet, hand and belly..."".

Miss Seelal tells us that the police took the victims to the hospital, Miss Renne says the driver of the car took them (no mention that police were on the scene at that time), and it's not clear from Miss Clarke's account who took them.

And by Miss Seelal's count, "The two killings pushed the murder toll to 218 for the year.", while Miss Renne tells us "So far for the year the murder toll stands at 225,...", and Miss Clarke did not hazard a guess at the figure.