Stackles Monsanto – he is no stranger to police or to this newscast. In fact in 2008 we reported on his arrests for robbery, escape, and assaulting a police officer. In 2008 he was also shot by a Chinese businesswoman he was attempting to rob – in addition to being shot by police. So he has a sordid and storied criminal past, but they’re mostly petty crimes, and Monsanto was released from jail in November. And it seems he was doing fairly well at staying out of the trouble; that is, until last night when he said trouble went looking for him on Euphrates Avenue. He told Keith Swift the remarkable story of his survival and his vow to settle the matter with his would be executioner.
Stackles Monsanto, Shooting Victim
“I am in here thinking and thinking and thinking and like I say to myself you know what, I could probably be in the morgue right now – cold.”
Stackles Monsanto came face to face with death around 9 pm. He says he was walking here on Euprates Avenue when a young man on a bicycle rode up, the young man pulled out a gun, pointed it at Stackles Monsanto and then pulled the trigger.
Stackles Monsanto,
“I don’t know how I am still alive because when this man pulled up on me, this man asked what’s up and like stick a gun in my face and just my mind told me this man wasn’t coming to rob me, this man was coming to kill you. So all I did was just duck and when I ducked, the first bullet caught me in here and if I didn’t duck, it is in my face I would have gotten it because you could see it is in here I got shot, in my shoulder.
Last night I probably nearly dead because when he done shot me, I ran from
there to the corner of Amara and I got so weak, I tell you like the whole of my body just got numb, my head started to get tight, I started to see like blackout and a lady told me to sit down and she would take me to hospital but they called the police came and they took me. I partly was dead because I lost a lot of blood.
The way he came to me last night, that kill he wanted to kill me. He just didn’t want to shoot me. After I ran from in front of him, he fired like ten shots after me and only by that man up there, I don’t know how I only got one more because this one is from the front. This one I got in my back, the foot was from behind and this young man looked like he didn’t have any intention of spare my life. I didn’t do anything for him to kill me but then people just want to kill people.”
Stackles was hit twice – a bullet entered his right shoulder and exited through his back and he still has a bullet lodged in his left leg. He is recovering in the hospital – and while there is that bullet in his leg, retaliation is on his mind.
Stackles Monsanto,
“You guarantee me, it will not end here. If he thinks I will leave it so, if police don’t charge him and do what they have to do with him and he will stay out here, that won’t left so because I will retaliate for my life and I don’t care what happens after that.”
And that promise comes from a 31 year old who has been 8 times and been to jail more times than he can count. He credits this bloody bible with saving his life.
Stackles Monsanto,
“You know how much times I got shot now, eight times and sometimes I even wonder how I nuh dead. Sometimes I even tell my brother why am I not dead, why do I have to go through this every time. But maybe that is the way how God has it because look at this right here, this is what partly saved me. If I didn’t have this on me, because I walk with this for protection.”
Keith Swift,
What is that?
Stackles Monsanto,
“This is my Bible and I said probably if I didn’t have this on me, I might have died. For some reason I feel this is a shield to me and so maybe this shield me.”
Keith Swift,
Have you ever thought of just stop giving trouble?
Stackles Monsanto,
“This year I didn’t go to jail yet. I was trying to stop for this year. From 1993 I have been going to prison and I haven’t missed a year from then except for this year.”
Keith Swift,
How many times have you been charged?
Stackles Monsanto,
“I can’t even remember. I get convicted eight times already and this year I said I will really try to change for it but like how this young man bring it, I don’t see the sense in change because I am telling you this won’t left so. This nuh wah left so because if I left it so, I believe the same thing will happen again. So either he goes to jail or if I have to go back out there to face he, I won’t run and I won’t hide from him. The same way how he came to deal with me, I will deal with him because I am not afraid of them. What fi happen will happen in life, you understand.”
Stackles Monsanto has named his shooter as one “Petillo.” He says they originally met in jail but weren’t close associates or enemies. Police have made no arrests.
