Arouca woman shot during jouvert in Arouca

A 19-year-old Arouca woman who had an argument with a man, was shot in the mouth during Jouvert celebrations in Arouca around 6.30 am yesterday. Up to late yesterday, Natalie Celestine of Railway Road was fighting for her life at the Intensive Care Unit of the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex. Another Jouvert reveller, Alexander Straker, 30, was shot in the shoulder and treated at the EWMSC. According to reports, Celestine and others were dancing and having a good time around 6.30 am, when Celestine saw a man she knew and reportedly told him something which angered him. The enraged man whipped out a gun and shot Celestine in the mouth. The bullet came out the back of her head.

She slumped to the ground in an unconscious state while Straker, who was standing a short distance away, was hit by a stray bullet. At Celestine’s home yesterday, angry relatives said that several revellers were openly displaying guns, and other weapons despite the heavy police presence. They added that Celestine was probably only joking with the gunman when she was shot. The shooting caused several revellers to scamper, while others tried to get a closer view of the two wounded. The incident brought a temporary halt to Jouvert celebrations in Arouca as police officers began searching persons. An eyewitness told Newsday that police are familiar with the man who shot Celestine.