Bullets for Andy's wife, but talk show host stands firm

A radio talk show host is standing firm on his support for the army presence in Diego Martin although that may have caused a gunman to shoot his wife at the couple's home in Diego Martin.

Andy Williams told the media Friday he didn't expect that kind of reaction but insisted that he's not backing down.

"My wife was in bed and she started to hear things like fireworks," he said. He explained that she felt a pain on her leg and rolled off the bed and hid under it until the gunfire stopped. He said the bullets went straight through her leg, but did not pierce any bone or blood vessels in her leg.

Williams said he got news of the incident moments after leaving a television morning program, where he was invited to speak on the issue of crime in Diego Martin. Williams, who is one of the hosts of a talk-show on 91.9 FM, contested the Diego Martin North East seat for the United National Congress-Alliance (UNC-A) in the last general election.

Residents told Williams they saw a man wearing a blue jersey walking off shortly after the shooting. they said he appeared to be a stranger to the area. Williams told reporters more than 20 bullet holes were left on the walls of his home but police have not been able to recover any shells. So far police say they don't see any motive for the attack.

Williams disagreed with many people in Diego Martin and supported the setting up of an army camp in the community following the murder of Defence Force Cpl Ancil Wallace and his friend, Noel Charles, on Sunday.

"I agree with it, I stand firm with it and I still stand firm with it, that the police and army intervention within any hot spots in Trinidad and Tobago, with the exception of brutal force; I believe they doing something good," Williams told reporters at a media conference at the UNC's office in Port of Spain.

"If I change that, I will be like everybody else," he added. Williams suggested that the initiative should be expanded to include areas like Laventille, Bagatelle, Arima and Carenage.

Williams said family and friends had warned him that he should shut up because someone might get hurt, but he said he didn't think people would go that far to try to silence him. He said he never received any threats.

Commenting on the police investigation, he said the police have not offered protective custody for either him or his wife.

The UNC-A has condemned the attack on Williams and his wife. The party issued a statement on the matter saying other members of the media, as well as politicians, might become targets by criminals for expressing their right to speak freely.

"This has serious implications for journalists, politicians and community activists as a whole, since it is a signal by the criminal element that they will be ruthless in removing anyone who stands in the way of their criminal enterprise," UNC leader Basdeo Panday said.