McFee gets four years for wounding

Ricardo McFee is now into the fourth day of his four-year prison sentence on a charge of wounding with intent. McFee was convicted for shooting Steffon Thomas of Mckies Hill on May 13, 2007. Chief Magistrate Simone Churaman also imposed an eight-month custodial sentence on him for damaging the windscreen of a vehicle belonging to Lamont Hector of Paul’s Avenue on the same date.{{more}}

When McFee’s trial began on Monday at the Serious Offences Court, shooting victim Steffon Thomas told the court that he was standing with Hector and some others in the vicinity of the Hinds Building in Kingstown when he saw the defendant standing some distance away. Thomas said he ran to where Hector was and pushed him out of the way as the defendant began spraying the block with bullets. As a result of the hail of gunfire, Thomas was struck in the shoulder. He had to be rushed to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital and spent three days there.

Thomas said he saw the defendant clearly and noticed that he was wearing a hooded sweater with stripes on it. “I saw his face clearly and I saw him in that sweater before,” said Thomas.

Thomas said he knew the defendant very well and was puzzled as to why he wanted to shoot at him, as they never had any bad blood between them before.

Thomas’ shooting followed swiftly on the heels of the murder of George Smith that took place earlier that same night.

Hector said all he heard was Thomas telling him to “get out of the way” and heard the gunshots, but did not know who was firing at them. He escaped unhurt but his vehicle was damaged.

In McFee’s evidence, he told the court that he was not in Paul’s Avenue that night, instead, he had been at the hospital as he had heard that his friend George Smith had been shot. He said the story told by Thomas had been fabricated and that he never saw him that night. “I know he aint see me that night, he telling lies on me,” said McFee. McFee said that he was at home with his family at Kingstown Park all day and the only time he left was to go to the hospital, after which he returned home.(KW)