Surgeon Dr. Paul Taiganides, who was on trial accused of causing the death of a gunshot wound victim he was treating, was found not guilty of manslaughter Friday.

After two-and-a-half days of deliberations, jurors returned a unanimous not-guilty verdict just as Grand Court Justice Cheryll Richards was preparing to address them on an option of a majority verdict.

Taiganides, 62, a former Health Services Authority doctor, had been charged with manslaughter by unlawful act or omission following the 21 Jan. 2024 death of 29-year-old Travis Alexander Ebanks.

During the four-week-long trial, the prosecution had argued that Ebanks had died as a result of the surgeon mistakenly inserting a breathing tube into Ebanks’ oesophagus rather than his trachea (windpipe), meaning oxygen was pumped into his stomach instead of his lungs.

Ebanks died in the trauma room of the Anthony S. Eden Hospital where he had been taken by ambulance after being shot twice, in the neck and chest, in West Bay.

The court had heard from the surgeon’s defence counsel, Ben Tonner, KC, that, with no anaesthetist immediately available, and with the victim bleeding out from a “sucking chest wound” and his oxygen levels dropping dangerously, Taiganides had intubated Ebanks, a task normally done by an anaesthetist.

Tonner had told the jury that key resources were absent when Taiganides arrived in the trauma room at 4.51am that morning – there was no anaesthetist present, no blood supply immediately available, and no X‑ray machine, characterising the scene as “worst‑case scenario.”

During the trial, Taiganides, who said he had performed thousands of intubations during his medical career, insisted the breathing tube had been placed correctly, and must have become dislodged at a later time.

The defence argued that the injuries suffered by Ebanks in the shooting were inevitably fatal and, regardless of whether the breathing tube was in the right place or not, he would have died.

Speaking outside the courtroom following the verdict, Taiganides told the Compass he believes this case will make it difficult for Cayman to recruit doctors.

“I’m hoping that the people of Cayman Islands understand that they have to take care of their physicians. It will be very hard to recruit people if they’re treated this way,” he said.

As the jury of four women and three men left the courtroom after delivering their verdict, the surgeon had stood in the dock, his hand on his heart and thanked them as they passed.

The jury had retired to consider their verdict on Wednesday

“I’m sincerely grateful to the jury, their time and effort for this whole thing. I’m humbled by the whole process,” he said.

Asked if he would consider returning to Cayman, having moved back to Greece where he resides, he shook his head and said, “I don’t think so.”

No one has been charged for shooting Ebanks.