Savage mugging leaves teenager on life support

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A 17-year-old boy is fighting for his life in the Intensive Care Unit of the Mount St. John’s Medical Center after he was severely beaten and robbed by a gang of muggers in Grays Far,

His distraught mother said she has been told that her son – disfigured by the attack – has only has a 50 percent chance of survival due to bleeding on his brain.

In addition to this life threatening condition, Jahhym Azoo suffered multiple fractures to his facial bones and is hardly responsive even to painful stimuli, his mother, Odiel Furlong, said.

In an exclusive interview with OBSERVER media last night, the woman, who was in tears, said, “Is the machine alone a save me son life right now, jus’ de machine dat he is breathing off of. He is not conscious, he cannot speak, his whole face – all de bones broken, nose broken, lips sliced in two, his teeth come out, half of his teeth out his mouth, and blood on his brains right now and de doctor to do de surgery is not on de island.”

The woman said the staff at Mount St. John’s Medical Centre advised her that apart from stitching the cuts and gashes to her son’s face, there is little else they can do until the specialist arrives to treat the brain bleed.

“The doctor, they told me, has to come and do the surgery to stop the blood from bleeding in his brain and they told me after the doctor come and do the surgery they will do the [operation] on the bones in his face. They already stitched him up fore day morning, and that’s all,” she wept.

The distraught mother also issued an appeal to the public for help in providing information to the police so that the offenders can be prosecuted.

She said the police already have some information about what occurred, but she is dissatisfied that after holding one of the suspects, lawmen let him go and told her they have to await a report from the hospital.

“I am up here (at the hospital) from since last night me nuh see de police come up here to see me son and all dey tell me is dey waiting for de police record fuh come down. Dey need to come down here and see what’s going on. Five little youth man did this. De police call de parents, and you know what de parents and dem do? Dem lock off dem phone,” she lamented.

She added, “Dey got one boy; dey let him go. De police let him go and no police come up yah fuh see how my son stay. Up to now me nuh eat, me nuh sleep. All me know de bottom o’ me foot a bun me and five boys dem a sleep comfortable. Dis not right.”

Crying almost uncontrollably, the woman mumbled, “He whole face mash in. They tell me they have to put in wire in his face and if the doctor don’t reach soon it’s whatever me haffu face me haffu prepare; dat ah what dem say. They don’t think he has a great chance.”

According to the Antiguan-born woman, her son, who was born in Dominica but moved here a few months ago, was walking in the vicinity of Greenbay Primary School Thursday evening when five males attacked him and robbed him of a pair of Adidas slippers and his cellular phone.

Her son reportedly resisted the attack and the robbers escalated their violence. They reportedly beat the teenager to the ground and stomped him in the face repeatedly before fleeing.

At least one eyewitness who went to the teen’s aid spoke with police since the incident, a source confirmed. Another witness called the ambulance and waited until the boy was taken to hospital before going to his home to report what had happened.

The mother is urging anyone else with information to reach out to the Grays Farm Police Station as soon as possible because “these criminals must not get away with this. Me son jus’ come ya and he nuh no nobody, dis is not fair,” she said.

17-year-old Jahhym Azoo is on life support after the brazen attack on Thursday (Photos courtesy his mother Odiel Furlong)
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