BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – AN autopsy was performed on the body of Leon Phillip, who was shot and killed in Newtown on Wednesday, March 31, 2021.
The autopsy was performed yesterday (Apr. 7) by Resident Pathologist, Dr. Adrian Nuñez, who concluded that death was due to hypovolemic shock due to massive hemothorax as a consequence of a single gunshot wound to the thorax.
Research has shown that hypovolemic shock “is a medical emergency and an advanced form of hypovolemia due to insufficient amounts of blood and/or fluid inside the human body to let the heart pump enough blood to the body”; and that massive hemothorax is defined as “large scale blood in the pleural cavity”.
It further stated that “the pleural cavity is a fluid filled space that surrounds the lungs and It is found in the thorax, separating the lungs from its surrounding structures such as the thoracic cage and intercostal spaces, the mediastinum and the diaphragm”.
According to a previous police press release, officers had responded to a report of a shooting incident in Newtown sometime after 6:00 p.m. on the day in question.
On arrival, they met the motionless body of 34-year-old Leon Phillip of La Guerite laying on the ground with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the chest.
The District Medical Officer had visited the scene and pronounced him dead, while personnel from the Forensic Services Unit processed the scene and had collected items of evidential value.
Investigations into this matter are ongoing.
However, the police are seeking the public’s assisting and have called on persons who might have information regarding this matter to contact the Violent Crime Unit by dialling 467-1887, 467-1888, 662-3468, their nearest police station or the Crime Hotline at 707, where information could be given anonymously.
