By ANDREA DOWNER, Staff ReporterTWO OF THE three persons who were attacked, chopped and injured by a machete wielding man in Recourse near Mavis Banks, St. Andrew, on Tuesday night, were still battling for life at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) yesterday.
Forty-four-year old Daston Haase apparently went berserk shortly after seven and hacked three children to death and badly injured the three adults. After an eight-hour stand-off amongst himself, the police and residents, he was hacked to death by an angry mob close to dawn yesterday morning.
When THE STAR visited the hospital, 60-year-old Mildred Willis was still in the recovery room under close observation by a team of doctors after undergoing surgery shortly after she was admitted.
Several chops
The golden-ager's right hand had been severed and left where she was attacked. Her right leg was almost severed and was swathed in bandages from her knee to her ankle and held firmly in place by a splint. Her left hand was badly damaged and also bandaged from the elbow to the wrist and the fingers of that hand was badly swollen.
Her entire head was swathed in bandages where she had received a large cut with such force that her dentures broke in several pieces and flew from her mouth. The dentures were also left on the side of the road with her severed hand.
Her son, Dennis Walker, told THE STAR that he saw his mother briefly but she was unable to speak. He said she held up what was left of her severed arm and dropped it back on the bed before she started crying.
A few doors down, her daughter, Hermalyne Taylor was engaged in her own battle for her life. At 4 p.m. yesterday, the mother, whose two children were among the three that were killed by Haase, was still undergoing surgery which had started at about noon. A large chunk of flesh from Taylor's back was cut out and she was chopped across one side of her face. She also received cuts on both hands.
The third survivor of the brutal attack, 38 year-old Howard 'Tantan' Hibbert, fared a little better than the two women, as he was stable and conscious when THE STAR visited him.
He was propped up in his hospital bed with a bandage over his forehead and one on his right hand. Three of the fingers on his left hand were also heavily bandaged. Although it was obvious by his pained expression that he was not quite over his ordeal, he told THE STAR how he managed to overpower Haase and defy death.
He said he had just finished visiting one of Haase's brother and was on his way out of the yard when he saw Haase rush towards him with a machete. He said he tried to get out of his way but Haase started to pursue him. He said he turned and grabbed onto the blade of the machete and managed to wrestle it away from Haase, almost severing three of his (Hibbert's) fingers.
Walker told THE STAR that he had not buried his mother's hand as he had planned as he had not got the time to do it. He said he has placed the hand in his freezer for safe keeping.
A number of residents who had turned up at the UHWI to give blood on behalf of the two critically ill women, bitterly concurred that Haase would not be buried in the family's yard. They further stated that if Hasse's family members that reside in Portland want his remains they could claim it, but no one from Recourse would be spending money to bury him.
