A man was cleared of attempted murder two years to the day after the gun attack happened.

The Supreme Court jury found Kyari Flood, 22, not guilty of the charge yesterday.

He was also cleared of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and using a firearm to commit an indictable offence.

Marc Daniels, for the defence, said after the verdict was announced that he was “extremely pleased”.

But he added that the incident, which happened in Pembroke, as well as the two most recentshootings in the parish, were signs of a major problem with gun violence.

Mr Daniels said: “The challenge is that we as a community continue to be plagued with this type of violence."

Mr Flood walked free after about six hours of deliberation by the jury.

He smiled, clasped his hands together and gazed upwards after the verdict was read.

The court heard earlier that a 37-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was shot in the arm after two men attacked him at his home on Parson’s Road.

The victim ran into the house and hid in the bathroom, but the gunman chased after him.

The attacker fled after the victim’s girlfriend saw him and phoned police.

The gunman and the other man left on a motorcycle.

Officers who were later examining the shooting scene saw Mr Flood run through the area.

They chased him and arrested him on nearby Deepdale Road West.

The incident happened around 11pm on March 24, 2020.

The victim’s girlfriend, who also cannot be identified, visited Hamilton police station two days later and identified the gunman as Mr Flood.

She told the court she knew Mr Flood and that, although the gunman’s face was hidden by a mask and a white helmet, she recognised his eyes.

But Mr Daniels told the jury on Wednesday that the high stress of the incident had caused the woman to make a mistake in the identification.

He said after the trial: “We all have experiences in life where we know that we may vehemently believe in something and hold firm to that position – but we actually may be wrong.”

Mr Daniels added: “No doubt I feel for the victims in this case.

“Effectively, what they experienced was a horrendous tragedy – home invasion of any construction is just demoralising.

“The nature of the case is one that was clearly very difficult, and of course the nuances of the case involving the relationship of the parties made it even more challenging.”

Mr Flood, who took the stand last Friday, told the court that he was in the area because he had left pain medication and his mobile phone and charger at a friend’s house on Deepdale Road West.

He added that he had left his motorcycle at the Evening Light Pentecostal Church on Parsons Road because it was the only place he could park.

Mr Flood told the jury that he “jogged” across the street to avoid the police, but was arrested by firearms officers.

No gunshot residue was found on Mr Flood or his motorcycle and the gun used in the incident was never traced.

Mr Flood declined to comment.

The Royal Gazette can reveal that Mr Flood, from Pembroke, was wounded in a daytime shooting on Court Street, in which 28-year-old Clarke Fox was killed, a week before the Parson’s Road incident.

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