By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

A seven-year-old boy about to head to his last day of school was fatally shot outside of his Piper Lane home yesterday morning after being hit by a stray bullet.

An adult male believed to be the intended target was also shot during the incident, which police say stemmed from a drug dispute. He remains in hospital.

The child, identified by police as Camron Cooper, was the third person shot and the second to die in two separate incidents in the Wilson Tract/Homestead Street section of the Englerston community in less than 12 hours. A man who was shot around 10pm on Monday in front of his home on Homestead Street died in hospital yesterday morning, police said.

The deaths marked the 37th and 38th homicides for the year, according to The Tribune’s records. 

In the latest incident, according to Assistant Commissioner of Police Clayton Fernander, the child, a second-grade student at Columbus Primary, had just left home to get into a vehicle waiting nearby to take him to school.

ACP Fernander said that a short distance away, two men were allegedly involved in a drug dispute in which a firearm was produced by one of the men and shots were fired.

Camron’s body was hit by a stray bullet.

“It is such a sad, sad situation,” ACP Fernander told reporters. “(The child) was later taken to PMH by private vehicle, where he later died.”

Relatives of the boy, who remained at the scene, described him as a loving and easy-going child.

Bobby Brown, who identified herself as the boy’s aunt, said she is shocked at what took place.

She said residents in the community are in fear, adding the ongoing gun violence has forced them indoors and too afraid to go out.

“Too much of the senseless killing, this have to stop, too much of the senseless killings,” she said. “We can’t even come outside and have a talk or stuff like that.

“I was inside at the time of the shooting; my son was getting ready for school so I said let me stay inside and do what I got to do.

“It is sad, this morning would have been his last morning for school. Like he was getting ready for school, his normal way,” she said.

Over at Columbus Primary, the school received news of the tragedy as it prepared for a visit from Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling.

Several counsellors were seen speaking to teachers and students when The Tribune visited the school.

Principal Patricia Chisholm said the school, initially in a joyful mood, found itself in a state of shock and in need of prayer.

“When we heard the news, we immediately got things together for counsellors to come in, we didn’t want the kids to be caught off guard,” she said.

“God is our healer. This is something that one can’t prepare for, but we have to be here for our kids and our teachers in this trying time,” she added.

‘Full force’

Back at the scene, ACP Fernander said the area is known by police as a drug source and is constantly under surveillance.

However, he stressed that the circumstances surrounding yesterday’s incident illustrates a greater need for police presence in the community.

To that end, he assured residents that officers would return to the community in “full force.”

“You will see me out of these clothes. We are going full force in these communities,” he said.

“And we will go in every community where we have information that drugs are being sold and the folks, they will just feel the police presence in these areas.

“. . . I think it is high time that we continue and be consistent with our full court press within these communities where we know that drugs are fueling a lot of these shootings.

“We just can’t continue to talk about it, it’s action time and you will see that as we move forward. And again, we want to just give condolences to the family,” he said.

The man who was shot was listed in stable condition up to press time.

The suspect in this incident is known to police and is believed to be a resident of the area.

ACP Fernander said of the suspect: “The nation, the nation should be concerned about this matter and as they do, the public always comes to our assistance and I just want to press on them to do the same to let’s flush out this person.

“He should not be, this culprit, this coward, he should not be out there another hour. And we are going to get the information out there to you, the members of the public.”

On Monday night, a man was shot a few blocks over from yesterday’s scene.

According to police, the man was standing outside his home when he was approached by two armed men in hoodies. The men opened fire, striking the man about the body before vacating the area.

The man, Michael Johnson, 18, was taken to hospital by private vehicle where he died a few hours later.

ACP Fernander said police don’t believe the two incidents are connected, but appealed to residents to assist police with any information that could lead to the arrest and prosecution of those responsible.

Police said last night that two suspects were in custody in connection with yesterday’s shooting.