Witness: Calming Kids After Court Street Shooting
Various eyewitness testimony was heard today in the Supreme Court trial of Cervio Cox in relation to the May 23, 2009 shooting in which three people were shot in broad-daylight on Court Street. One eyewitness statement read out described the mother calming her children down after the incident, and fielding their questions as to why people were shooting.
The defendant in the case, 26 yr old Cervio Cox of Clarendon Road, Smith’s, is facing seven charges, all of which he denies. Defending him is Queen’s Counsel [QC] Jerome Lynch of Britain, while Robert Welling and Larissa Burgess are prosecuting the case.
Yesterday a jury consisting of seven women and five men was selected.
One of the charges Mr Cox is accused of is conspiring with others not before the court to murder J’Don Thompson. He is also accused of other charges including conspiring to use a firearm for an indictable offense, two counts of wounding with intent and using a firearm in relation to Raymond Burgess and his son Raymond Burgess Jnr.
The C&R Shop Owner and shooting victim Raymond Burgess Snr took to the stand and testified this morning [May 17]. He said that the gunman was “one foot in and one foot out”, and that he “turned to me, pointed his gun at me, and fired a shot at me. But I went down to a split position and got caught on my thigh”.
Mr Burgess went on to say the gunman fired at his son [Raymond Burgess Jnr] after firing at him. He said the shooter fired at his son again as he was running to the back of the shop. He further said that the other shooting victim, J’Don Thompson, came up from the back of the store, sat down, and took of his boot to reveal a bleeding foot. Mt Burgess Snr said someone took Mr Thompson to the hospital, while the ambulance came and took him.
After Mr Burgess testified, several eyewitness statements were read into the record.
One statement, from a witness who described himself as a car washer, said he observed the shooter coming back to a blue car, and told the court the car licence plate number. The witness also stated that as the individual got into the car he shouted “It’s not over, I’ll be back”.
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Location of the incident: C&R Variety Store, Court Street
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During another eyewitness statement, it was said that the gunman took his time and was “very composed, almost arrogant”
The next eyewitness statement was read into the record. The witness said she had her children in her car, and was proceeding South along Court Street, and was blocked by a blue car.
The statement said she observed and heard shots being fired and men running. She drove rapidly from the scene, running a red light in the process, and drove into the Bank of Bermuda parking lot where she attempted to calm her children down.
Once she had calmed them down, she said she took her daughter to dance class and drove around town with her children still in the car trying to continue to calm them down, while dealing with questions from them asking why people were shooting, and how guns got into Bermuda. The youngest of her children was 5 years old at the time.
The trial is expected to last 2 to 3 weeks.
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