Deadly New Year’s Eve Shooting: Self-defense or Murder?

A Belize City resident was shot and killed over the New Year’s weekend, as he left the parking lot of a popular nightclub.  Tonight, police have turned over surveillance footage of the incident to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, awaiting further instructions.  From the look of it, twenty-eight-year-old Trevor Brown got into an altercation with several other patrons in the parking lot and the situation escalated quickly, resulting in deadly gunfire.  Here’s News Five’s Isani Cayetano with that story.

 

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

A deadly New Year’s Eve shooting in Belize City bookended the violence that gripped the Old Capital during the Christmas holidays.  In the wee small hours on Sunday morning, an altercation in the parking lot at Thirsty Thursdays ended in an exchange of gunfire and when the shooting subsided, twenty-eight-year-old Trevor Brown had been mortally wounded.

 

Anthony Perry, Stepfather of Deceased

“As the family, everybody is just mourning the loss of my son and really we noh happy wid weh happen, but we wahn mek God do ih course.  Soh fi now, we actually di plan di funeral and we di wait fi sih more or less weh di police dehn wahn investigate so we know more or less who kill ahn.”

 

What transpire in the parking lot was an altercation between patrons leaving the establishment.  Surveillance footage shows the vehicle that Brown was driving when it rear-ended a pickup truck nearby.  The men then confront each other before Brown and occupants of his vehicle got in and attempted to drive off.  In the process, it would appear as though he deliberately swerved in the direction of the person he had just exchanged words with.  Brown exited and began firing.

 

ACP Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander, Eastern Division

“Police responded to a shooting at Newtown Barracks, at a parking lot.  Upon their arrival, information was received that Trevor Brown received gunshot injuries and he was rushed to the KHMH for treatment.  He was then pronounced dead on arrival at the KHMH.  Information received was that Trevor Brown had an altercation with another male person at the parking lot and at some point both of them pulled out firearms and fire at each other.”

 

Brown’s older sibling was in bed when he received a phone call from their stepfather.  Anthony Perry was calling to inform him of the deadly encounter moments earlier.

 

Travis Brown, Brother of Deceased

“I mi deh eena my bed.  Nobody know that I mi come back from down south because I deh mostly down south.  I get wahn call from my stepfather and I sih he di call me and I return back fi he call.  He neva know I deh eena my bed and he da like, “Ah call yoh fi tell yoh that dehn just shot Trevor and dehn kill Trevor.”  We just talk Friday before I leff.  We di talk bout vehicle.  He just buy ih vehicle and di man tell me, ih seh, “Mek ah borrow yoh battery.”  I seh, “Hold on to di battery ‘til Monday cause I noh wahn need it ‘til Monday.  We deh fronta fi he vehicle and we di talk from one thing to the next.  We gaan eena ih vehicle, show me ih radio cause I da di most one weh know bout vehicle, yoh know, and ih di show me ih radio.  Ah tell ahn da probably just wahn lee fuse or something.  I take off and I gaan south.  That da di last time I sih or hear from my bredda.”

 

According to a situation report shared by the Belize Police Department, Brown was walking back to his Mazda when a pair of men came from behind and opened fire on him.  The windshield of the vehicle was damaged and the men reportedly fled from the scene.

 

ACP Hilberto Romero

“Shortly thereafter, a male person was apprehended in the Yabra area and he was found with a gunshot injury to the head and he was taken to the hospital and he’s presently admitted receiving treatment.  Several expended shells were found at the scene and vehicles were scene with bullet holes.  A thorough investigation is being carried out in this incident and statements are being recorded.  We have video footage and these will be forwarded to the DPP for determination.  The person that is admitted at the hospital is still there and so we await when he is released to conduct an interview.”

 

Brown was among nine children being raised by his stepfather who told News Five this afternoon that the family is not interested in reprisal of their loved one.

 

Anthony Perry

“Pan fu we half as wahn family, we need fi mek sure that we stay strong as one and do what we need to do to lay my son to rest.  Well I noh into this grievance and vengeance and weh everybody into.  Everything weh I leff it deh eena God’s hands and when the time is right he wahn fix it.  So fi now, that’s all I got fi seh.”

Admittedly, Brown, by his brother’s words, was no angel.  He had flaws about himself, but the family did not think that the call they would receive on New Year’s Eve was to inform of his demise.

 

Travis Brown

“Ah noh something weh I wah seh I di run from, but ah just never expect it, especially fi di New Year, yoh know.  My lee bredda and everything, ih do good, ih do bad, I cyant seh nothing, ih done happen.”

 

Isani Cayetano for News Five.