Grenade, Shooting and Arson at former home of Patrick Jones

Six fragment grenades were detonated by the Belize Defense Force in March. The explosives made headlines when they were lobbed in residential neighborhoods but failed to detonate. And luckily, an incident that occurred at eleven-forty-five on Friday night also went without the charge that the assailant had intended. Apparently it was intended for a youth affiliated with Taylor’s Alley. But it was thrown at his mother’s house. The B.D.F. said that it wasn’t a dangerous weapon, but a training grenade that had more bark than bite. But life for Evadnie Jones has been anything but peaceful since her home has been shot at and almost burnt in the past few weeks. News Five Jose Sanchez reports.

Jose Sanchez, Reporting

This indentation on the front of the house looks as if a baseball was hurled at the wall. However, in the neighborhood of the beleaguered Banak Street, a grenade was hurled at the home of Evadnie Jones.

Jose Sanchez

Voice of: Evadnie Jones

“I mi ena my bed di lay down di read mi scripture. When I listen, I hear bang on the wall. When I hear the bang, I say that dah noh wah gun; that da noh wah ordinary phone. So I get up, I get my phone and I called the police. When I done call the police and put down the phone, mi neighbor call mi and say ih see two boys on the street, they had an object ina dehn hand like dehn di do something with it and they stone it ina mi yard. And I tell ahn yes, I heard it and I already call the police. And she said she called them too. And I call them police almost eight times before the last time I call them—the eighth time—they respond. And the two guys come back and if they mi come as I called them or even the fourth time when I called them, they woulda mi catch the two guys.”

After police responded to the scene, Lieutenant Colonel James Requeña, the B.D.F.’s bomb expert, was deployed to the scene.

James Requeña

Lieutenant Colonel James Requeña, Acting Chief of Staff 

“Actually the incident took place at 4161 Logwood Street, not Banak Street. the call came in on Friday night minutes to midnight. I was called out, I responded to the area. on arrival, I noticed that it was a practice grenade and that was noticeable because of the color. The difference between training and live ammunition is the distinctive color. Live ammunition is normally olive green with yellow markings. This was not a live grenade and it was thrown at residence because it left an indent mark. I am sure that the media was out there earlier and could have seen the indent at the location. But the practice grenade did not go off. The practice grenade is designed to simulate an actual grenade, but all it makes is a loud sound; there is no fragmentation because there is no high explosives or anything within the practice grenade. All it has is a fuse that simulates the sound.”

Jose Sanchez

“Is something that can easily be removed from Price Barracks? Is it something that could have been lost during a training?”

Lt. Col. James Requeña

“Well it is something that cannot be removed from Price Barracks. It has to be something that was left on a training area and as you know we share the training area in Mountain Pine Ridge with the British Forces and other military that comes into the country.”

And though it was a practice grenade, it was not the first time someone target practiced on Jones’ home. Recently, two shots penetrated the wall and doors of her home. The target was Patrick Jones, who no longer lives at her address.

Jose Sanchez

“This isn’t the first time something has happened at your house. There were two previous incidents right?”

Voice of: Evadnie Jones

“Yeah, almost three incidents because last week—the week before Friday—they come and they shoot two gunshot in my house.”

Jose Sanchez

“Was anyone else home other than you?”

Voice of: Evadnie Jones

“Every time, only me and Luke when they incident happen and it happen almost around the same time.”

Jose Sanchez

“And then prior to that, there was an attempted firebombing of your house.

Voice of: Evadnie Jones

“Yes, they come. I wasn’t at home that night, but Luke was here and ih say ih hear knocking on the wall and scrambling trying to open the window and ih say ih curse them. And when I come in the morning, I find the whole window and the wall black up and the pieces of the bottle weh dehn mi have the fluid ina burst on the ground with all dehn finger prints and everything.”

Jose Sanchez

“Clearly these men aren’t looking for Luke—he suffers a disability and he works at the City Council. So who is it that people have told you that these men or these youths are after?”

Voice of: Evadnie Jones

“Well, everybody claim that it is off of my son, Patrick. But Patrick move out fi di same problem and he live by himself.”

Jose Sanchez

“So Patrick hasn’t been here for quite a long time?”

Voice of: Evadnie Jones

“Yeah.”

Jose Sanchez

“So at least you’d want these people—whoever they are—to know that the person they are after is not at your house.”

Voice of: Evadnie Jones

“Of course. And if they want fight with Patrick, go and fight with Patrick. They want to fight with fire; fight with fire. I am not.”

Jose Sanchez

“Just please don’t bring it to your house.”

Voice of: Evadnie Jones

“Yeah. Please don’t bring it to my house.”

Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.