Belize City man robbed and shot to the head on the eve of his birthday

Hector Dean Lyons

The past weekend turned violent for three families whose loved ones were killed. Early this morning a man was found dead in a latrine at a school in Guinea Grass, Orange Walk District and on Saturday, the body of a US retiree was found with gunshot wounds at his farm in Sarteneja. But on Sunday night here in the City, Hector Dean Lyons was shot and killed as he sat on his steps of his house between Water Lane and Orange Street. Lyons was murdered before eight o’clock by a gunman who rode up, took his wallet and fired a single shot which penetrated Lyons’ head. He would have celebrated his fifty-seventh birthday today. Duane Moody has this story.

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Duane Moody, Reporting

Around seven-thirty on Sunday night, the blast of a single gunshot echoed near downtown Belize City; a man was shot dead…execution style. Hector Dean Lyons also known as “Bad Cyaad” was to turn fifty-seven today, but just hours before as he socialized with a friend on West Canal, his life was viciously taken.

Supt. Alden Dawson

Supt. Alden Dawson, O.C., Precinct 1, Belize City Police

“Police visited a location on West Canal between Water Lane and Orange Street where they saw the lifeless body of Hector Dean Lyons, fifty-seven year old of ninety-eight Cemetery Road, with a single gunshot to the left side of his head. Investigations reveal to this point that a young man, dark complexion, rode on a bicycle and probably had a short conversation with the deceased, we think he made demands of his wallet and thereafter fired the said fatal wound to the head causing the life of the deceased.”

Within minutes, the news of the murder reached his wife, Lola Flowers, who was released earlier that day from the K.H.M.H. Flowers had to be rushed back to the hospital.

Lola Flowers

Lola Flowers, Wife of Murder Victim

“Somebody called not my phone but my daughter husband phone and tell dehn that Dean just get shot dah Mike’s Club and I jump up because they never want I know cause they know I just come outta wah stroke. I said dah what. And she say, ma, Dean just get shot. I said, Jesus Christ and I start to pray. I say I hope ih noh dead. And not even wah good three minutes after they call back and say that ih dead and I have to come identify something and go dah the precinct. Well I drop down right there and the ambulance had to come for me and I end up ina hospital back last night.”

Flowers last spoke with Lyons around four p.m., about three hours before he was killed. She says Lyons had won Sunday’s Boledo Draw and that he was targeted because of the monies he carried on him. Police say that the motive appears to be robbery.

Lola Flowers

“Ih call me earlier and tell me say I win soh much amount a boledo and I wah give dehn pickney dehn some money and I wah bring yo some money tomorrow along with something else weh ih had yah. I tell ahn okay. Make sure yo do good with that money and put up that money. Ih say no, I can’t collect it until tomorrow which is today because the Chiney [Chinese] man noh wah give ahn dehn deh kinda money deh. I feel like dehn rob he….because ih dah man always have money pan ahn; always have wah three four hundred dollars pan ahn cause ih gamble hard. Ih like play hard that’s why dehn call ahn “Bad Cyaad” because ih like gamble cyaad. Ih like ih cyaad business and when yo see Sunday time come, ih go dahy Mike’s Club and ih go and gamble ih lee cyaad and thing out there. and ih mussi gone and run up ih mouth and people hear say ih win this boledo and they think ih done collect. And ih neva collect, dah today ih mi fu collect.”

Supt. Alden Dawson

“The demand for the wallet was made which the culprit got away with because we could not find his wallet on his person. We found ten dollars on his person, five dollars in his hand and five dollars in his pocket.”

Lola Flowers

“The police man seh dehn neva find no money on ahn, but they tried pursue the person weh shot ahn, but ih escape from dehn through some weh bout. I noh even remember all weh the police dehn say cause I noh even mi di think straight then.”

No person has been detained in this homicide. Duane Moody for News Five.

News Five understands that the police are currently reviewing surveillance footage from cameras in the area that they believe can assist them in capturing the perpetrator.