Alleged Turf War Claims Life of Antelope Street Resident, Dwayne White
Dwayne White
A Belize City man was shot dead inside his yard just before midnight on Friday and police believe that the attack on the Antelope Street resident was the result of an ongoing conflict over the sale of weed in that neighborhood. It’s the second execution of its kinds we have reported on in the Old Capital within the past few weeks, where persons retailing small quantities of marijuana are gunned down by their adversaries. The continuing feud is an area of concern for the Ministry of Home Affairs which has flagged the issue within the context of the push towards legalizing the illicit marijuana trade. We begin our coverage tonight with a report from News Five’s Isani Cayetano.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
On Friday night, just before twelve a.m., multiple gunshots were fired inside a property on Antelope Street Extension. Forty-four-year-old Dwayne White, known to residents in the neighborhood as Donie, was mortally wounded in the armed attack. He was rushed to the KHMH for emergency medical attention but perished while undergoing treatment. Communications Director, ASP Fitzroy Yearwood, of the Belize Police Department.
ASP Fitzroy Yearwood
ASP Fitzroy Yearwood, Communications Director, BPD
“Sometime around 11:30 police visited the KHMH where they saw the lifeless body of Mr. White with several apparent gunshot wounds. Initial investigation reveals that White was sitting inside his yard with friend and family when a man entered his yard and fired several shots in his direction. He was immediately transported to the KHMH where he succumbed to his injuries. The person that entered that yard exited and went through an alley next to a popular Chinese shop on that street.”
The incident, according to police, may have been motivated by a turf war over the sale of cannabis in that area.
Fitzroy Yearwood
“We haven’t a true motive but we are examining several. From what we are picking up in the neighborhood, it would want to sound like a turf war, but, like I said, we can’t go by just hearsay so we are trying to establish motive. We have to be real, we are in Belize City. That area is known for the sales of several illegal narcotics. So it would want to appear that this is as a result of the sale of illegal narcotics. We have our operational teams out there trying to do their best in building an arrest in this murder and at the same time trying to apprehend these illegal vendors.”
The effort to make an arrest and bring the perpetrator of this crime to justice, however, is being frustrated by the deafening silence of eyewitnesses who saw the incident as it unfolded.
Fitzroy Yearwood
“So far we have detained several persons, but we are still investigating because it’s a challenge when it comes to getting information in that area. I know that for the past week or so, you have seen where we have made several busts and some found property, large quantities countrywide, and we will not stop this operation. We are trying our best to clean the streets of these illegal narcotics and our operations team will be pushing out there.”
The so-called turf war in that area of Belize City speaks to the perennial issue that the Ministry of Home Affairs is faced with, rival gangs going at each other for the sake of controlling the sale of cannabis in certain communities.
Isani Cayetano For News Five
