Court hears how victim was shot

A ST JOSEPH man, who has had difficulty sitting and standing for long periods of time after being shot in the back and waist, yesterday gave evidence against the men charged with shooting him. Sitting uncomfortably in a chair in the witness box, Joseph Noriega told the court that on the evening of April 7, 2001, he was sitting on a culvert eating chicken outside Felix Bar in Maracas/St Joseph, when he got up to get some ice. He said the accused, Ryan Charles and Michael Mahase, whom he knew for some time, were sitting on a car bonnet some distance away.

As he proceeded to get his ice from the bar, Noriega said, the accused approached him and Charles pulled out a gun from his pocket. Charles then handed the gun to Mahase and ordered him to shoot Noriega. The witness said he turned to run and he heard gunshots. He recalled feeling a burning sensation in his side and as he continued to run he was hit in the centre of his back. He said his feet “crippled up” and he fell in a drain. He heard more gunshots and he saw the accused walk past him.

He was taken out of the drain by two men and taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital, where he remained warded for a month. Charles and Mahase, both of St Joseph, are before Madame Justice Alice Yorke Soo Hon at the Port-of-Spain Second Criminal Court charged with attempted murder and wounding with intent. Charles is being represented by attorney Evans Welch, while attorney Ulric Skerritt appears for Mahase. State attorneys Cheron Raphael and Candia James are prosecuting.