“He Didn’t Have To Die”
Too many guns, not enough ambulances, no clinic - and one of the "good ones" is dead
Perhaps the greatest tragedy is that he didn’t have to die.
Let us begin by offering our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and community that is now mourning the senseless death of Hernan “Puchy” Santos, 43, who was gunned down late Saturday night in the Marley Homes in Frederiksted, St. Croix. May they find strength during this most difficult time from the prayers of their community and all who learn of this tragedy.
He was a husband, father, son, brother, role model and contributor. He was a man who, like many of us, had his struggles. But he worked his way through them and at the time of his death was the owner of Yee Feed Shop, his own business, the realization of a dream he never thought was possible but one he worked and sacrificed for until it was his. And now he is dead.
Sometimes death by crime becomes so common it becomes impersonal; we become desensitized but in this case, in the words of his brother Jaime, we begin to feel the crushing, personal reality of the loss.
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And it was there, at his shop, where Santos was fatally attacked by those, we are told, felt his life was a fair trade for his necklace and “Cash for Gold.”
How must he have felt, lying there, bleeding, waiting a half hour for an ambulance that had to come all the way from Juan Luis hospital, as there is no ambulance in the West, and no medical facility since the Frederiksted clinic remains closed. There isn’t even an ambulance at the Fire Station in West – so there was nothing to do but wait.
They lost him and brought him back twice in that long ambulance ride back to the hospital. But he didn’t make it through the surgery and around 3 a.m., Jaime said, they found out he was gone.
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We will never know. What we do know is that the cry for medical assistance on the West end of St. Croix has gone unanswered, lost in a chorus of bureaucratic babble. The clinic is a quasi autonomous entity; the Legislature appropriates the funds but the Executive branch has to execute; we have the ambulances but we don’t have trained personnel; and on and on and on.
And “Puchy” Santos is dead.
Will this be enough to break the deadlock that has resulted in who knows how many deaths, or near deaths, because of lack of medical care on the West end of St. Croix? Why is there a shortage of trained emergency medical personnel? If there is money to hire countless assistants and “project coordinators” in government agencies, surely there are funds for the public health! Will someone now take this public safety threat seriously and mount an aggressive attack against the number of illegal guns on the street? Or will that only become a priority when a tourist gets shot?
Death sometimes makes saints out of sinners, but Jaime said that wasn’t the case with his brother.
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But perhaps radio host Mario Moorhead said it best, when responding with deep condolences to Jaime, who made the above referenced comments on his program on Tuesday.
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To His Niece,
Out hearts and prayers go out to you and your family as you mourn your uncle’s loss.
Be strong. We are with you.
The Staff At Crucians In Focus and your Virgin Islands Community
to Niece,
My heart goes out to you and your family and all the friends of your uncle Puchy. I wish there was some way to make sense of your wonderful uncle’s untimely death, he was a wonderful man, and will remain that way in my thoughts forever.
@ Niece,
Oh you poor child. Please know that all our thoughts are with you. I thought I had cried my last tears over this too and then I read your message to your dear uncle.
Be strong honey, know that there are lots of prayers with you and try to find strength with the rest of your family.
Remember the love.