A family vacation turned violent when an American was shot and robbed on Providenciales, and island belonging to Turks and Caicos.
Kevin Newman, who is from Alabama, visited the island with his son and wife when he was shot in the abdomen, according to ABC News.
He was first taken to a nearby hospital but was medically evacuated to a hospital in Florida. According to WTVM, his kidney was removed during an operation, adding that he can now wiggle his toes. He remains in a medically-induced coma, the station reported, and police say is is in serious condition.
“He lost a very large amount of blood, so he received lots of transfusions yesterday. The surgeon also had to remove his right kidney, and his left kidney function is being monitored closely,” wife Tiffany Newman said.
“The shooting of the visitor to the Turks and Caicos Islands is condemned, and my team are working tirelessly to identify those responsible and bring them to justice. I know this incident will cause concern in the community,” acting commissioner of police Trevor Botting added on Saturday.
“We need our communities’ eyes and ears to help us keep the islands safe,” he said, reported the New York Daily News. “I would ask that people remain alert and vigilant but not alarmed.”
Tiffany released a longer statement, expressing gratitude to people who have supported her family.
She told WTVM-TV:
“Words can’t begin to express how thankful we are to each and every person that has given anything to our family. This has been so traumatic (I accidentally posted this before I was finished), but it has also been so comforting knowing we have so much love, support, and prayers for us. I want to let everyone know what is happening to try to ease your minds. We were initially told by our resort security he had been shot 3 times so we conveyed that info to family. We later found out there was only one shot that entered his abdomen and exited from his back.”
“It caused damage to his liver, but the main issue was that it hit his inferior vena cava and right kidney vein. He lost a very large amount of blood so he received lots of transfusions yesterday. The surgeon also had to remove his right kidney and his left kidney function is being monitored closely. According to his doctor it isn’t functioning as well as it should due to the blood loss he suffered.
“He was confident it would slowly return to normal though. He is stable and still on the ventilator, but I’m praying he will continue to improve and they will be able to wean him off soon. His vitals are better today and they are giving him excellent care. I am so thankful and relieved he is here! I will try to give more info when I can and just ask for continued prayers. Again, thank you all so very much from the bottom of our hearts!!!!”
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