A bullet in his body for 35 years

A Trou Macaque, Laventille man, who was shot during the curfew period of the 1970 Black Power revolution is appealing to the Ministry of Health and the Minister of Health John Rahael to save him from a life of pain, agony and possible death by lead and copper poisoning. For 34 years construction worker Winston Samuel, 57, led a normal life, working, eating, going out and everything else. Then suddenly, around February last year he started experiencing excruciating pains where a bullet was left in him after being shot by police during the curfew period. Today Samuel is a cripple, experiencing symptoms similar to those of lead and copper poisoning.

Explaining his situation and what led to it, Samuel told Newsday, “I was 22 years of age at the time, working at Coelho’s Bakery on Prince Street. One night at about 11 pm during the curfew, I was liming on the “block” close to home when a police car pulled up and the officers started firing. “It was then I started running when I remembered that the curfew had started around 9 pm until six the next morning. I together with my friend Randolph ran down the hill where I told him I had been shot in my left shoulder. “I was taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where I spent six months and then released. “The doctors told me because of where the bullet was lodged, it could not be removed. They further said it will either melt or be excreted.

“I continued working for several years, doing all type of heavy work, no pains. Then last year I felt a severe, crippling pain in my right side. “I visited the clinic where X-Rays were done which confirmed the bullet had move to the right side close to my ribs and spine. In June, I was given an appointment for October month-end. In October, I was given one for November 29, while the pain continues and the bullet is killing me slowly. “For a while I used pain killers and was able to work five fortnights on the URP projects but now I cannot walk or do anything for myself. My partially-blind mother May Samuel whom I was taking care off, now have to cook, and take care of me.” The X-Ray photos showed fragments of a 7.62 bullet lodged to the right side of Samuel’s spine. These bullets at the time came from police-issued SLRs.

A medical source confirmed that all the symptoms of the taste of metal and gravel in his mouth, muscular aches, loss of use of limbs, pains in the body being experienced by the ailing man are that of iron and copper poisoning. “I do not want to die this way, I want to work and take care of my family and die normal,” pleaded the suffering man. “All I am being told is come back! come back. The doctors have not taken any blood samples or any test to date but I am only getting new appointments and told I will have to get more X-rays. “I cannot wait that long, because the pain is getting worse and I might be dead. I am appealing to the minister and whoever can to please help me.” The suffering man was not however bitter to the police since he admitted it was he who broke the curfew, although the only visit he had from the cops was when they met him on the road shortly after he was discharged, placed an empty gun in his hands and asked him if he ever held one of those. They drove off when he responded in the negative.