It’s been two days since the government of Belize enacted another state of emergency and the Belize Police Department has issued wanted posters for nearly fifty men wanted under the S.O.E. Under an S.O.E., police officers conduct house raids, make arrest and detain individuals in areas that are known for gang activity. The department hopes that carrying out an S.O.E. will abate the number of gang-related crimes, that have been on the rise in the past two weeks. However, as police continue to make sweeps across southside Belize, residents are coming forward, claiming that they nor their loved ones should be included in the dragnet. Earlier today, we spoke with Alrick Lamb, who has been charged with being a member of a gang. He says that since the S.O.E. was declared on Tuesday, he has been fearful to walk the streets. On Wednesday, his brother Kurtis Lamb was detained, and he knows that police are also seeking him.
Voice of: Alrick Lamb
Voice of: Alrick Lamb, Wanted Under S.O.E.
“Weh mek I call unu fi mek I speak with unu today because I tired ah the harassment. Literally, I get harassed twenty-four and more. I neem feel safe to walk with my son on the street anymore, because everywhere we go. We there at Civic Center, we try to go free fi we mind at the beach, anywhere we go, police come and harass we. Da like we da neem fah Belize, we da neem citizen ah Belize City on a whole, None at all. The way how they treat we. Fih seh reason, I noh know, because dah no like we de out deh dih do anything bad or anything out of the way of harm people or anything like that. I, right now I fi go da work and I can’t even move because they post my picture on Facebook. If I could ah mi change weh paat I grow up, I would, because I noh want the harassment from police, but da noh like if I could go anywhere else. I noh got no next move to make any move to go anywhere else like that. But back ya I born and grow, so da back here I from, da back here I stay. Check my house, da right back here, so da back here I born and grow I don’t got nowhere else where I could go, if I could have gone somewhere else, I done gone because I tired of the police harassment.”
The state of emergency that came into effect on Tuesday morning saw the rounding up of almost a hundred men, believed to be gang members, from various communities in Belize City, Cotton Tree and Roaring Creek. Earlier today, they were trooped to the Belize Central Prison where they will remain under lockdown for the next thirty days. But, with such a significant number, did the Belize Police Department’s dragnet capture everyone they wanted under the latest S.O.E.?
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“The police continue to be in search of a number of persons who are on the list and have not yet been located. We are doing our best to be able to locate those individuals. The press office will be issuing those wanted posters, hopefully by the end of day today where we will be seeking the public’s assistance in locating them.”
Another family member has come forward to demand justice for her loved one who was detained under the state of emergency earlier today. This time, it is Stephanie Reynolds, the mother of nineteen-year-old Tyreek Straughan, a resident of Antelope Street extension, who she claims does not have a single charge on his record. We spoke with Reynolds today, who explained that her son has been the target of harassment from several officers for months now.
Voice of: Stephanie Reynolds
Voice of: Stephanie Reynolds, Mother of Detained
“The first SOE they had in March they came five thirty in the morning. They came, they round up everyone. They ask the intel is my son name on the list? The intel respond no, his name is on the list. Not on the list. They still took him to the station. I followed to the station. I went to the station. I asked them why is my son detained? They said pending murder. I said pending murder for who? That back then I think that was when um, the guy Bobo got shot on Antelope Street. I said but my son wasn’t even here for that weekend. He was in Dangriga for a buggy there. I don’t know what the name of the thing is. So they said okay, you only have to spend forty-eight hours. I call ney say your son’s name is not on the list so he won’t go to jail. Okay, understandable. The evening when I took my son to jail, when he fired it up, I never get no call that my son went to jail. I don’t get no call from them, none at all. I get a call from someone who was at jail. About five o’clock the evening someone who was in the in the jail and they called me and they said miss Stephanie, do you know that your son is here at jail? So I said no, so I called back and I asked, You told me that my son was not on the list to go to jail So why is he at the jail? My son have no criminal records if you go and check his records. He have no criminal record. My son is just nineteen years old.” They say we search your son this morning on his way to work. We search him and he was on the blacklist. He say ney call we in the afternoon and tell we I saw you guys searching so could you please go and bring him in for me? But I tell him, but my son don’t have no criminal record. So why the big man want to see my son? My son just come out of jail. My son just come out of jail for SOE so why don’t want to see my son? Only to put it like my son now a criminal. My son is not a criminal. He don’t have no drug charge, no weed charge, no gang charge. No, no kind of charge he don’t have. Why harass he? But these officers are not doing their job because before my son turned eighteen, they keep telling him. We will send you to jail. We will send you to jail. We can’t wait till you’ve reached eighteen from it. We send you to jail.”
On Tuesday, a state of emergency was declared to control the rise in violent, gang-related crimes. It is the second S.O.E. to be enacted within the past six months. A few hours later, an on-duty security guard was murdered at Sadie Vernon High School. Twenty-eight-year-old Kadeem Babb was working the night shift when his security booth came under attack by gunfire, killing him. We spoke with Commissioner of Police Chester Williams, who said that although the attack was targeted at Babb, it was not the result of gang activity. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with more information.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
There’s been another murder in Belize City and this time it happened on the grounds of Sadie Vernon High School in Saint Martin De Porres. The latest victim of the surge in violent crimes is twenty-eight-year-old Kadeem Babb, who was working the night shift at the school’s security booth. Debroah Martin is the principal of Sadie Vernon High School.
Debroah Martin
Debroah Martin, Principal, Sadie Vernon High School
“I received a call and some text messages this morning that the boot was locked and the employees of the school were unable to enter. Usually, we have twenty-four hours in security services or watchmen on duty. And when my employees tried to get in the compound this morning as early as seven o’clock, they were not able to come. And so that sent an alarm when they were healing for the watchman on duty, and there was no response. So what happened was that they looked around the boot area and they noted that on one of the window blinds there were a bullet, there was a bullet hole or more than one. And that called, them to action. And so eventually my office assistant jumped the fence and came on the compound. We had to get a hammer to open the door so that they could enter to see what had happened. And they found him in there lying down.”
The murder comes just a few hours after the enactment of Belize’s second state of emergency this year. However, Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams maintains that this crime was not committed in relation to the recent surge in gang activity, but rather, it stemmed from a personal issue.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“From what we have been made to understand is that there may have been some issue. Between the security guard and another individual, which is not gang related, because I already see some comments stating that, oh, we have S.O.E. and this is happening, but the murder is not gang related. And the police have obtained surveillance footage from the school. We’re viewing those footages now and hopefully we’ll be able to identify who the individual is and should be able to make an arrest.”
Martin says that the employee’s death shocked and saddened her. Babb had been working at the school for three years and she didn’t know him to get into serious conflicts with anyone.
Debroah Martin
“He started in 2021 and he’s friendly, outgoing. You will know that he’s on the compound when he’s here. Always helpful. Knows how to put smile on your face. That’s the kind of person. I know he’s outspoken, so he will stand up for anybody, to anybody who comes his way or stand up for anybody that he thinks that somebody is taking advantage of. So I don’t know of any issue with anybody, but I know he’s somebody that is going to stand up for himself and for others. I don’t know of any previous issue with him and anybody that may have resulted in this.”
In reaction to Babb’s death, community members have expressed frustration that the murder occurred relatively close to a police station. ComPol Williams says that despite this, there was no way for the officers stationed there to know that the crime was going to occur.
Chester Williams
“It’s not a stone’s throw away from the police station, as some media hosts have reported. It is still quite a distance from the police station. And yes, as I said before, we do have police officers in the Martin’s area working, but the police officers have to move around. They cannot stay in one given area, and criminals will take advantage of whatever opportunity they may have. And the fact that it was not, it is not something gang motivated. You have an issue with somebody, you go after the person where the person works. I don’t see how it is going to be possible for the police to be able to deter that from happening, unless the police would have had prior knowledge that there was some issue between him and this individual and this person would have been going after him to do him something.”
Williams further countered speculation that the murder was in connection to a shooting that occurred on Sunday that led to the injury of Joshua Gillett and the death of Stanley Moore.
Chester Williams
“I wouldn’t say it’s the same location. It may be the same street, but quite a distance away. The Sadie Vernon High School is a little way up more into that street.”
Reporter
“No chance that he was a witness or I’m asking, might he have been a witness?”
Chester Williams
“No.”
Williams said that although there has been an increase in violent crimes, the police have been working diligently towards making an arrest and ensuring that the perpetrators are brought to justice.
Chester Williams
“I must say that the past the last three murders we have had we have made arresting all three of them. And it goes to show again that the police is doing as best as we can to be able to investigate these murders and find the persons responsible and make sure they face the court system. I have no doubt that with this one, the same is going to be done.”
Two men have been sentenced to prison for the 2019 burglary and gun heist at Victor L. Bryant on Independence Boulevard. Randy Chambers has been handed a sentence of eight years and six months for burglary, and six years and six months for kept firearm without a gun license. His partner in crime, Selvin Linares got seven years and seven months for burglary and five years and three months for kept firearm without a gun license. Both sentences are to run concurrently so they will serve the larger prison term of eight and seven years, respectively. Late Tuesday evening, after the court heard a mitigation plea on both men’s behalf, the Senior Magistrate handed down the sentence. On Thursday, June thirteenth, Chambers was found guilty of eight counts of firearm offenses and guilty of burglarizing Victor L. Bryant. On Thursday, July twenty-seventh, 2023, Linares pleaded guilty to the burglary, but not guilty to the firearm offenses. Nonetheless, he was found guilty of five counts of kept firearm without a gun license. During the mitigation plea hearing, Chambers asked the court to consider the two programs he had completed whilst at the prison, while Linares asked for mercy and for the court to consider the fact that he too had completed the Freedom for Journey course.
The security guard found murdered this morning in Belize City has been identified. He is Kadeem Babb. Babb’s body was reportedly found in a security booth inside the Sadie Vernon High School compound.
The shooting occurred a stone’s throw away from the Mahogany Street police station.
Following the state of emergency declaration, the Leader of the Opposition, slammed the government for what he describes as having no solution to the increasing crime rate. This afternoon, Shyne Barrow also said his party has been suggesting a change at the helm of the police department for quite some time. He pointed to the increase in murder rate, compared to last year, and criticized the Commissioner of Police for blaming the Trinibad concert for the recent gun violence.
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“You have the commissioner of police blaming music as the reason for the current state of emergency. It is music now. It is concerts. It is a DJ Trinibad. He’s the reason that people are killing people, please. This is the reason that Chester has to go. There has been a 45 percent increase in the murder rate. We have 58 murders already, from January to June, whereas last year we had about 40 or maybe 45. And so we have a significant increase in the murder rate. The United Democratic Party has been saying for the last few years that the Prime Minister needed to make adjustments in the Ministry of Police and We stay by that. We have been saying that Chester Williams has reached his expiration date. Milk tastes good, but after a certain date, it is useless. And we are seeing that with the Ministry of Police. They completely lack leadership. They lack leadership. The competence at the two most important positions, which is the ministry, the minister of police, and the commissioner of police. And what we see in Chester Williams is just a defense attorney for the Government of Belize. There is no accountability, there is no willingness to accept shortcomings, there is no willingness to work with stakeholders.”
Twenty-four- year-old Marquis Anthony Conorquie has been arraigned and remanded to the Belize Central Prison for the murder of thirty-two-year-old Stanley Moore and the attempted murder of twenty-seven-year-old Joshua Gillett. As we reported, on Sunday evening, Moore and Gillett were traveling in a B.M.W. from the direction of Central American Boulevard towards Oleander Street when two men on a motorcycle rode up beside the car. One man on the motorcycle pointed a firearm at the B.M.W. and opened fire. The two men on the motorcycle then drove off towards the direction of Amandala Drive and made good their escape. A wounded Gillett drove himself and Moore to the K.H.M.H. When police arrived at the hospital, Moore was found dead inside the passenger seat of the car, while Gillett was being treated in emergency. Two days after the shooting, police have arrested and charged Marquis Conorque. He was taken to court and read four charges, including murder, attempted murder, use of deadly means of harm and dangerous harm. In court, no plea was taken from Conorquie and, due to the nature of the offenses, bail was denied. He was remanded into custody at the Belize Central Prison until August twenty-sixth. According to police, the main suspect, a twenty-six-year-old man from the Saint Martin De Porres area, remains at large. Conorquie was presently out on bail for robbery. That trial is ongoing.
Rudolph “Bobo Youth” Lewis was murdered on March twenty-second. Tonight, a second suspect is behind bars in connection with his shooting death. Twenty-one-year-old Robert Arnold was brought before the Magistrates Court where he was read a single charge of murder. Arnold is now charged jointly with twenty-two-year-old Travis Herbert who was first arraigned on May sixth. In court today, Arnold was unrepresented and due to the nature of the offense, he was denied bail and remanded into custody at the Belize Central Prison until July fifth. That is also the date that Herbert will appear in court for a second time since being arraigned for murder. As we reported, on March twenty-second, Lewis was riding his motorcycle from the direction of Elston Kerr Street towards Central American Boulevard when two male persons on a motorcycle came from behind him and fired several shots in his direction. Lewis later succumbed to the injuries he sustained, while being treated at the K.H.M.H. The murder scene was visited by Scenes of Crime Personnel, where expended shells were recovered from the scene, along with a green Lifan motorcycle. Police also viewed several video surveillance footages in the immediate area and footage was retrieved as evidence. Witness statements positively identified Travis Herbert as one of the men riding on the motorcycle from which the gunshots were fired.
