BROOKLYN, New York, CMC – St. Lucia’s leading goal scorer in the New York Caribbean Cup, Phillip Tisson, was shot dead early yesterday morning, police here have confirmed.
Reports said the 27-year-old had just finished celebrating his team’s 1-0 victory over St. Kitts and Nevis when he was killed by an unidentified gunman a short distance from a club in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn.
Only hours earlier on Sunday, Tisson had scored the lone goal in the semi-final duel with St. Kitts and Nevis, ensuring that his team qualified for the tournament final against Jamaica next Sunday.
The striker, who arrived here in May for the tournament, had scored five goals in the 2010 campaign. He also represented St. Lucia’s national team during its recent World Cup campaign.
Police said the gunman opened fire on a car where Tisson and other passengers sat, a short distance from the Tropix night club on Carroll Street and Utica Avenue.
A 24-year-old woman sitting next to Tisson received a gunshot wound to her chest and was taken to Brookdale University Hospital in Brooklyn. She was reported to be in stable condition, cops said.
Two other women in the car were unhurt, police said.
“The guy was celebrating the victory and was looking forward to playing against Jamaica and then somebody shot him,” Martin Daniel, president and CEO of the St. Lucia New York team, told CMC Sports.
Fred Ballantyne, the Cup’s Vincentian-born president, said he hoped the culprit was brought to justice.
“It’s very, very hard to leave your island and come here and get shot,” he added. “We have to help to send the body back to St. Lucia for burial.”
Daniel said, despite the tragedy, his team would beat perennial champions Jamaica to win the Cup for the very first time in its 19-year-history.
“Adversity will make our team stronger,” he said. “He (Tisson) had a passion for the game. Everybody will now have to step up.”
Ballantyne said the teams and fans would observe a moment of silence on Sunday in Tisson’s honour.
