Earlier this month, at the start of our Belize on Reel feature on conservation efforts across the country, we looked at Crooked Tree and its importance as a Ramsar Site. The protected area is made up of over fourteen thousand acres of waterways, logwood swamps and lagoon. It also provides a habitat for over three hundred species of resident and migratory birds. Tonight, we look at a story put together by freelance journalist Jose Sanchez.
Belize City resident Kenrick Gill narrowly escaped grave injury when he was fired upon by an unknown assailant on Thursday night. He was riding his bicycle in the vicinity of Hunters Lane when someone emerged on the scene and let loose a hail of bullets in his direction. Gill was injured in the shooting, but his wounds were not life threatening. He was treated and released from the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. According to the Regional Commander of Eastern Division, investigators are following several leads.
HILBERTO ROMERO
ACP Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander, Eastern Division
“On Thursday, January 18th, 2024, police responded to a shooting incident at Hunters Lane in Belize City. Upon their arrival, they found Kenrick Gill with gunshot injuries to the shoulder. Kenrick Gill reported that he was riding a bicycle when he was approached by a male person who fired several shots towards his direction, causing his injury. He was taken to the KHMH where he was treated and has since been released. We are seeking one suspect in regards to this shooting.”
Reporter
“Sir, was this a gang-related shooting?”
Hilbero Romero
“No, we do not consider it a gang-related shooting. We are following up on several leads.”
Viewers please note: This Internet newscast is a verbatim transcript of our evening television newscast. Where speakers use Kriol, we attempt to faithfully reproduce the quotes using a standard spelling system.
There was a shooting in Ladyville over the weekend and the victim is a thirty-one-year-old woman. Anna Haylock was inside her home on Yellowtail Street when someone began firing several gunshots at her residence. When the shooting subsided, she realized that she had been injured.
ACP Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander, Eastern Division
“On Sunday, January twenty-first, police responded to a shooting incident at Yellowtail Street in Ladyville Village where they met Anna Haylock, thirty-one years old, with gunshot injuries. Anna Haylock reported that she was inside her house when she heard several loud bangs and then realized that she had been shot. She was taken to the KHMH where she is in a stable condition at this time. We are seeking one suspect in regards to this shooting.”
Reporter
“No motives?”
Hilberto Romero
“No motive at this time. She was at home when she was targeted.”
Viewers please note: This Internet newscast is a verbatim transcript of our evening television newscast. Where speakers use Kriol, we attempt to faithfully reproduce the quotes using a standard spelling system.
A home invasion on York Street here in Belize City has resulted in a pair of thieves making off with an undisclosed sum of money, as well as jewelry and a cell phone. Derone Locario told investigators on Friday night that he was at home when two armed men barged inside, held him up and ransacked the property.
ACP Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander, Eastern Division
“Derone Locario, forty years old Belizean of York Street reported that he was at home when two persons armed with firearms entered his house. They proceeded to hold him up and then they searched the house and stole an amount of cash, jewelry and a cell phone. The two male persons then fled from the area on bicycles. We are seeking two suspects in regards to this report.”
Viewers please note: This Internet newscast is a verbatim transcript of our evening television newscast. Where speakers use Kriol, we attempt to faithfully reproduce the quotes using a standard spelling system.
Two Belize City men stand accused of robbing a businessman of his firearm on Friday morning. Twenty-four-year-old Edward Saldano and twenty-one-year-old Elan White, a maintenance worker of Ladyville, were charged jointly for robbery after they allegedly held up Dennis Morey and stole a Smith and Wesson brand revolver from him. The duo appeared unrepresented in the lower courts earlier today where they pleaded not guilty to the charge. On January nineteenth, sixty-four-year-old Dennis Morey visited Precinct One where he reported to police that sometime after 8:30 that morning he was approached by a pair of men riding on separate bicycles. According to the villager from San Juan, one of the men placed a gun at his head while his accomplice proceeded to relieve him of the revolver. This afternoon, Assistant Commissioner of Police Hilberto Romero spoke on the incident.
HILBERTO ROMERO
ACP Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander, Eastern Division
“On Friday, January 19th, 2024, Dennis Morey reported that he was on Plues Street conducting business when he was approached by two male persons armed with firearms. The persons then proceeded to hold him up and they stole from him one .38 revolver and then made good their escape. Aa investigation was carried out and we have since arrested and charged Edward Saldano and Elan White for the crime of robbery.”
Britney Gordon
“Was that the only thing stolen from the [businessman]?”
Hilberto Romero
“That was the only item stolen.”
Saldano and White were denied bail and remanded to the Belize Central Prison until April 22nd, 2024.
The trial of Attorney, Oscar Selgado was scheduled to resume today before Justice Nigel Pilgrim, but it never got a chance to proceed beyond where it was adjourned on December nineteenth. This morning, there was a sexual assault case involving a minor that spilled over from last week that was given priority. The Selgado trial was adjourned for this afternoon, but the other trial had not concluded. Hence, the Selgado trial was adjourned again until ten Tuesday morning. Selgado, as we’ve reported, is charged with abetment to commit murder against Marilyn Barnes. Barnes had reported Selgado to the General Legal Counsel for unethical behaviour. And then Geovanni Ramirez, who had sought Selgado’s assistance for a separate matter when he was charged with a gun offense, claimed that Selgado had tried to hire him to murder Barnes. The investigating officer in the matter, former Inspector of Police, Wilfredo Ferrufino, is expected to be called to testify when the trial resumes, as well as the Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams. Williams had met with Ramirez upon Ramirez’ request to discuss the matter when he felt that his safety was at risk. Of note is that today, both the prosecution, led by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Cheryl-Lyn Vidal and Defense Attorney, Adolph Lucas Senior, agreed to have evidence that came out of a voir dire held late last year in the trial, be admitted in the substantive matter when it resumes on Tuesday.
Viewers please note: This Internet newscast is a verbatim transcript of our evening television newscast. Where speakers use Kriol, we attempt to faithfully reproduce the quotes using a standard spelling system.
The case of a former employee of the Belize Sports Council was today adjourned before High Court Judge, Nigel Pilgrim. During the virtual session this morning, attorney Darrell Bradley, argued over the classification of charges that were brought against the defendant, Ivan Ayuso. The question of whether theft or money laundering was the right charge brought against Ayuso, based on the use of the monies after being stolen, became an argument that will be decided upon at a later date. Both the defense and the prosecution, led by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Cheryl-Lyn Vidal, have differing views on whether theft or money laundering ought to be the charge that Ayuso should be facing. Ayuso, a senior accounts clerk at the National Sports Council, is accused of theft of one point zero nine million dollars during the time that he was there in the years preceding 2016. The charges followed revelations brought out in an audit report of the Sport Council’s finances, a former attorney for Ayuso had said publicly following the charges that Ayuso was responsible for preparing checks, for which he was not authorized to sign. In January of 2021, Ayuso was granted bail in the sum of three hundred thousand dollars. Ayuso was ordered to return to court on January thirty-first, when a decision will be made on the charges for which he faces trial. Ivan Ayuso was also charged back in 2002 with arson in connection with the fire that destroyed the Paslow Building. He was acquitted of the charge.
A resident of Mahogany Heights is indebted to the court for four thousand, five hundred dollars after being charged for drug trafficking. Twenty-year-old Emmanuel Thompson pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply when he appeared unrepresented before the magistrate’s court earlier today. On Saturday, Thompson was caught red-handed in possession of two hundred and thirty four grams of cannabis following a pursuit by police officers. During the chase, he was seen disposing a bag containing two parcels of weed. In court this morning, Thompson was fined and given until August thirty-first to clear the debt or, in default, serve eighteen months at the Belize Central Prison.
Viewers please note: This Internet newscast is a verbatim transcript of our evening television newscast. Where speakers use Kriol, we attempt to faithfully reproduce the quotes using a standard spelling system.
Residents of Caribbean Shores have observed that although several of their streets have remained in disrepair for a prolonged period of time, construction has finally begun to remedy the situation. As the time for election draws nearer, questions of whether this can be classified as electioneering arise. Kareem Musa, area representative for the constituency denies the accusation. Here’s what he had to say.
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
“We have been fixing roads, but it’s never on the radar of the media. For example, we fixed a road in Buttonwood Bay last year, early last year, we fixed, and that was Manatee Drive we fixed, I think it is St. Luke Street again, in Caribbean Shores, and there were other roadworks that started over six months ago, it’s just that the funding for the roadworks, because they had been dug up on those streets on Dunn, Landivar, Guadalupe, and I’ve been advocating heavily for these streets to be repaired since six months ago for us to get the funding for that. And so it’s not electioneering. These are roads that have already been in the pipeline for quite some time now.”
Viewers please note: This Internet newscast is a verbatim transcript of our evening television newscast. Where speakers use Kriol, we attempt to faithfully reproduce the quotes using a standard spelling system.
With the ongoing elections in El Salvador, Belize has set up a polling station to accommodate Salvadorans living outside of their home country. With this in mind, the question was raised as to whether or not Belizeans living abroad will ever be afforded the same right. Here’s what Foreign Minister Francis Fonseca had to say on the matter.
Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs
“I think that was something the government of Salvador, obviously, they have legal authority to have Salvadorans who live outside of their country vote. That’s established by law in Salvador and So when that request came to Belize we were obliged to, to support and help them to carry that out. We have not reached that point in Belize. I think it’s a good issue for discussion whether we want Belizeans in the diaspora to participate in elections. I think now that we’re going through the process of reviewing the constitution, the PCC process, I think that’s an ideal opportunity for us to discuss an issue like this one. I think it’s definitely something worth worthy of debate, worthy of discussion. And at the end of the day, I think it’s something we can look at but we’re not there yet in the case of Salvador, they already have that as a part of their law. We are not at that point yet. So as I said, I think the PCC represents an opportunity for us to have that in discussion and perhaps coming out of this PCC process. That is something that Belize may want to do. But let’s see what comes out of the process.”
