An Alabama man is in a coma this weekend after he was robbed at gunpoint and shot while on vacation with his family in Turks and Caicos, police said on Saturday.
Kevin Newman, 38, from Smiths Station, Alabama, was attacked and left in a serious condition during a dream vacation with his wife Tiffany, 40, and his son Gavin on the Caribbean island.
According to authorities in the British Overseas Territory, police were called to a shooting at 1.43am Friday in the Grace Bay of Providenciales, an island in the Turks and Caicos archipelago where the family were staying.
Cops say Newman was shot during a robbery. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The family says one of the bullets grazed Newman’s liver. He also had one of his kidneys removed.
Newman was rushed to a local hospital and then evacuated to the United States for further treatment.
When he arrived at a hospital in Naples, Florida, doctors placed Newman in a medically induced coma.
Supporters have set up a GoFundMe page to pay for his medical costs.
His wife Tiffany posted a message to loved ones on Facebook on Saturday.
She wrote: ‘Words can’t begin to express how thankful we are to each and every person that has given anything to our family.
‘This has been so traumatic (I accidentally posted this before I was finished), but it has also been so comforting knowing we have so much love, support, and prayers for us.
‘I want to let everyone know what is happening to try to ease your minds. We were initially told by our resort security he had been shot 3 times so we conveyed that info to family.
‘We later found out there was only ONE gunshot that entered his abdomen and exited from his back.
‘It caused damage to his liver, but the main issue was that it hit his inferior vena cava and right kidney vein. He lost a very large amount of blood so he received lots of transfusions yesterday.
‘The surgeon also had to remove his right kidney and his left kidney function is being monitored closely.
‘According to his doctor it isn’t functioning as well as it should due to the blood loss he suffered.
‘He was confident it would slowly return to normal though. He is stable and still on the ventilator, but I’m praying he will continue to improve and they will be able to wean him off soon.
‘His vitals are better today and they are giving him excellent care. I am so thankful and relieved he is here! I will try to give more info when I can and just ask for continued prayers.