‘I forgive man who used me as shield’

Gloria Mollick said the harrowing experience, in which she was shot four times, happened very quickly, but she added that she is happy that she has survived her close shave with death.

"I thought this could not be happening to me, and this is only something you see in the movies," said a weak sounding Mollick yesterday.

She said what was supposed to be a normal outing for her has left her traumatised, and in a state of shock.

Recalling the shocking incident, Mollick whose voice remained muffled due to her condition, said she withdrew her pension at the bank on Tuesday, visited a doctor and was on her way to purchase a few items on Charlotte Street, when the incident occurred.

At 1.55 pm, she was standing at the corner of Charlotte and Park Streets, Port-of-Spain, when a man riding a bicycle started firing at CEPEP worker Osbourne Sylvester.

"The man just grabbed me, holding on to me in a tight bear hug, as if to squeeze the life out of me, and although I tried to escape, I just could not," said a shocked Mollick yesterday. She added that when the bullets entered her body she thought that the end was near, but prayed to the Almighty for the strength to stay alive.

The mother of seven said that after being shot, the blood started oozing from her body causing the man who used her as a shield to release his tight grip on her, and she slumped to the ground. The gunman was later chased by the police but escaped.

Both Mollick and Sylvester were rushed to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital.

Sylvester sustained gunshot wounds to the stomach, leg and buttocks.

Doctors performed emergency surgeries shortly after the shooting attack.

Hospital officials yesterday revealed that Sylvester is in stable condition.

Police investigators in the two shootings said the incident was linked to CEPEP. They added that an arrest is imminent.

Guarded by a female police officer at Ward 22 of the Port-of-Spain General Hospital, Mollick, who was breathing via an oxygen mask and is being fed through drips, said she is happy to be alive, but is equally happy that the man who used her as a shield also survived the attack.

She has forgiven him for his act which has left her bedridden and in excruciating pain.

Meanwhile, doctors say that the liver, intestines and diaphragm of Mollick, which were ruptured by the bullets, are no longer bleeding.

Up to yesterday, however, the bullets remained lodged in the body of the elderly woman, and additional surgery is needed.

The mother of seven of Gonzales said while she is in excruciating pain, she is concentrating on getting better so that she can resume her life.

Patsy Mollick, the victim’s daughter, yesterday expressed relief that her mother survived the shooting. She said even after her mother was shot on Tuesday, she asked about the health of Sylvester and was also happy that he was alive. "That is how my mother is. She does not have any hatred in her and I am sure that she is still alive today through divine intervention," said Patsy.