Police in Belize City are investigating an apparent murder. The body of a man was found with multiple gunshot wounds near the Port of Belize in Belize City yesterday. The unidentified man is believed to have been fishing in the area when he was murdered.
Investigators found a backpack, bucket, and bicycle near the body.
The nation’s latest murder victim is an Asian businessman from Santa Elena Town. Sheng Wen Wu, the proprietor of Allan’s Restaurant, was gunned down a stone’s throw away from his place of business. Wu arrived home at three a.m. on Thursday, inside his grey Toyota Forerunner. Unbeknownst to him, a pair of gunmen lurked in the area. When he got out of his vehicle, they pounced on him and demanded that he hand over the money. He was then shot twice. As he fled the scene on foot, the men pursued him on a motorbike. He was shot three more times and left for dead on the shoulder of the George Price Highway. According to business owners in the area, this is not the first robbery that has occurred in the area recently. Unfortunately, this one proved to be fatal. So, what has led to the uptick in crime, business owners believe that criminals are taking advantage of the fact that the Hawksworth Bridge is closed for renovations. The police station sits at the foot of the bridge on the other side of the Macal River. News Five’s Paul Lopez report.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
A Santa Elena businessman was gunned down near his establishment in the early hours of Thursday morning. Reports are that just after three o’clock, Sheng Wen Wu arrived in front of his restaurant, just across from the Social Security Board, when he was approached by two gunmen on a motorbike. The men reportedly attempted to rob Wu and he tried to escape. He was shot twice in front of his restaurant. He then fled on foot towards the Hawksworth Bridge. About one hundred yards away, the gunmen caught up with him and shot him dead. We spoke off camera with someone who told us that crime has increased in the area since the Hawksworth Bridge was closed for renovations a month ago.
Voice of: Santa Elena Food Vendor
“The main thing is that things the happen mostly now because the bridge close and now we don’t have the patrol unit like that the pass like how they use to pass. They are on foot but it takes a little while for them to come around. That is the main one right there. After nine most of the businesses they close and whosoever are left open to continue working through the night, we are the ones that have to look out for each other.”
Reports are that gunmen have targeted at least three businesses in the area recently, a supermarket, a meat shop and a vegetable vendor. With the uptick in crime, this food vendor is considering leaving her business behind for the sake of her safety.
“Yes, I even the think about give up, because you have to the watch your back and people may think you the make money, but at this time of the year you are not making money. And with the bridge being closed, you nuh the make no kind of money and you just the struggle and the little bit you make you are just investing it back again and people will come and hurt you for the little bit of money you have.”
“I just know he as a nice person, but I never really get to know him like that. I just purchased some stuff from him and that’s all.”
Reporter
“Ok, but he was a struggling businessperson as well.”
“Yes, just like myself, he was struggling as well. All of us, from the time the bridge closed down all of us have been struggling, big time. You could ask anybody and all of us the struggle. We even tried to plea with the town council to see if they could do anything about it so that the bridge could open faster than the time they say, because they said six to seven months. But I don’t know if it will happen.”
We reached out to Mayor Earl Trapp who informed us that contrary to what the business owners may be observing, police patrols have increased in the area. Mayor Trapp says that he believes the time the incident occurred may have contributed to the brazenness of the killers.
On the Phone: Earl Trapp, Mayor, Santa Elena/ San Ignacio
“To be honest, according to the O.C., police patrols have increased in Santa Elena because of that said reason, because the bridge is closed and one of the reasons why I sought to ensure that the low lying bridge would be a two way is for the said reason, to ensure that vehicles would be able to traverse along that path, crossing the low lying bridge into the George Price Avenue and the George Price Highway. So, for that said reason I went the extra mile and convinced the other parties we must allow the low-lying bridge to be two way, especially for smaller vehicles. When you look at the time that happened, that is three o’clock in the morning, so there is very little that maybe police could have done or people could have seen.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.
Two men are free tonight after the prosecution’s murder case against them collapsed in court. Camryn Lozano and Albert Gill, both of Ladyville, were given the benefit of the doubt after the court could find no other piece of evidence to support the victim’s dying declaration. Twenty-two-year-old Egbert Baldwin had told police after he was shot that Gill and Lozano were his killers, but Justice Candace Nanton upheld a no-case submission by their defence attorneys, Senior Counsel, Hubert Elrington and Norman Rodriguez.
Justice Nanton noted in her ruling that the court was unable to conclude that the evidence was reliable, and that the blood found on the slippers was there long before the murder. She further added that while one of the Crown’s witnesses placed one of the accused men in the vicinity of the shooting, it did not necessarily mean he is the shooter. The judge concluded that she could not safely convict the men after careful consideration of another case used as reference. The judge could find no evidence of identification, no evidence of what the lighting conditions were on the night of the shooting; no evidence of a joint enterprise for an exception of the D.N.A., which suggested that two firearms were used. Earlier Justice Nanton went over key elements of the prosecution case in determining whether there was a case before the court. The evidence came from the first responder to the murder, a police officer, Patrick Gennity. He testified that when he arrived at the house where the shooting happened, he recognized the person who had been shot and that the victim named the two accused men as the shooters. The judge also noted that the autopsy report certified that Baldwin was shot from behind. Another witness for the Crown testified that at around seven on the night of the incident, Baldwin went to her house to borrow money and shortly thereafter, she heard about the shooting. The accused men were on remand for almost four years. Attorney Hubert Elrington explained the details of their submission.
Hubert Elrington, Senior Crown Counsel
“This is a case the commission brought relying upon what we like to call the rule in Turnbull’s case. It is a very difficult case. And, very important legal principle. The last time the court was faced with evidence as thin as this against defendants, was in 2012. in the case involving Tybalt and this, is a ruling which lawyers in this jurisdiction are going to rely on for the next hundred or so years. It has developed our law to the point where it needed to be developed so that the D.P.P. within her wisdom be guided. in future when she has these very, difficult decisions to make. Okay, so give us an idea of what those particular elements that made the case reach to this point today that are unfolding. The deceased called the name of the two accused. When asked who shot your hege, he replied that It was the two of Jews calling their names, and he did that about three or four times, but self corroboration is no corroboration in law. Okay. The court had to look for other evidence. Okay. The court said it conducted a meticulous search for even an iota of additional evidence, and it was unable to find anything to come up with it, that if it had found an author of helping evidence, it would have ruled in another way. But this was one of those cases where the court in the following turn had to look for additional evidence, had to find additional evidence. It could not just rely on the statement of the Cicelo’s.”
It’s been several weeks of continuous heat and widespread flames ripping through the country. Thousands of acres of land have been affected, as well as hundreds of families. With a dry season so uncharacteristically long, environmentalists are calling this one of the most severe heatwaves the country has ever experienced. With fires so intense, it took a collaborative effort between the government, N.G.Os, and private companies to battle the flames. Today, a joint press conference was held to provide details of how the fires grew out of control. The stakeholders also provided an assessment of the damage caused. Here’s Daniel Mendez, National Emergency Coordinator with those figures.
Daniel Mendez, National Emergency Coordinator
“We noted that continuous high temperatures and low rainfall across the country increase the likelihood of fires across the country. In the Toledo district in particular, we saw there were localized fires which developed near the San Pedro Columbia area, and these increased significantly during the period of May fourteenth to seventeenth. There were also significant increases in central and southern Toledo throughout that period. On the board, on the screen, you will see the temperatures for the period from the first to the twenty-seventh, and in particular, I want to highlight to you that this the peaks the peak temperatures. It’s actually when we saw most of the fires starting to develop. You will see that there were high, record highs of one hundred seven degrees in the central farm area. And this of course, was a similar trend across the country. That in combination with the low rainfall, really created that condition. So our damage assessments have been ongoing because you understand that this is a situation that is, has not stopped. There are continuing fires across the country and we have been responding to these issues for the past three weeks. We also have people who responded to fires as of last night. And so it’s an ongoing operation. But what we have been able to gather so far in the Toledo district, there are upwards of four hundred families which have been impacted by this fire. This is a spread across a space of twenty-eight communities across all across the district. And up to now our assessments continue, but we noted that there are a there is a minimum of six thousand acres of farmland which have been damaged. There has been also great loss to damage to the environment, and there is a lot of loss to livelihood. We also note that ten houses have been destroyed in two communities. There were eight in the Grand Creek Village and two in San Pedro, Columbia. In the Mountain Pine Ridge, we also noted that approximately thirty-two thousand acres were affected in that area. However, we have not yet been able to begin the assessment of the Cayo district to determine the totals the total impact so far. We will be doing that in the next few days.”
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in collaboration with the Canadian government, has launched a $14.6 million project titled Gender Responsive Climate-Smart Agriculture and Food Systems in the Caribbean. Running until December 2028, this four-year initiative will focus on climate change, youth and gender constraints in value chains and build capacity so that all value chain actors benefit from increased market access and increased incomes.
The project will be implemented by FAO in collaboration with the Ministries of Agriculture in eight (8) Caribbean countries. The project aims to promote and encourage the use of climate-smart technologies in viable agricultural value chains in Belize, Grenada, Dominica, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Suriname and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
“We recognise the disproportionate impact of food and input price inflation, supply chain disruptions, and climate change in the Caribbean, which has exacerbated pre-existing food insecurity,” said High Commissioner Chatterjee at the regional launch event on Monday.
The project was originally announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the Canada-CARICOM summit last October. She underscored the importance of empowering women, describing them as “powerful agents of change” in achieving sustainable and resilient agri-food systems.
According to the High Commissioner, the project represents a major commitment under Canada’s feminist international assistance policy. It will develop inclusive, gender-responsive, climate-resilient value chains in the named Caribbean countries. It addresses challenges faced by producers and farmer organizations, such as weak business planning and limited access to finance.
Renata Clarke, FAO’s subregional coordinator for the Caribbean, stressed the project’s alignment with broader efforts to transform value chains in the sub-region.
Project coordinator Vermaran Extavour outlined goals including the adoption of climate-smart technologies and improving community facilities with renewable energies to enhance food quality and reduce waste. The initiative aims to build the capacity of women and youth producer organizations to run viable businesses within these value chains.
Since 2017, Global Affairs Canada has invested over $2.5 billion in global agriculture and food programming. High Commissioner Chatterjee expressed confidence that this project will complement other efforts to strengthen agricultural entrepreneurship and food systems in the region.
The FAO-Canada initiative will initially operate in eight Eastern Caribbean countries, with detailed implementation plans forthcoming.
(Press release)
Nominations for the 35th Caribbean Media Awards were announced on Wednesday. Great Belize Productions, Channel 5, received twenty-five nominations—the most for a single outlet in the Caribbean Region.
The Caribbean Broadcasting Union said, “2024 continues to break records with the CBU Secretariat receiving four hundred and eighty-four (484) submissions for sixty-three (63) categories from a total of thirty-four (34) organisations representing thirteen (13) countries and territories in the Dutch, English, and Spanish Caribbean.”
The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (NGC) is the Title Sponsor.
Great Belize Productions was nominated in the following categories:
Best News Story: Digital
Best Investigative Report: Digital
Best Climate Change Investigative Report: Digital
Best Commercial Spot: TV
Best Public Service Spot: TV
Excellence in Environmental Reporting on Mangrove and Seagrass Beds: TV
Coverage of Healthy Nutrition Food Policy: TV
People’s Choice Award
Best Documentary: TV
Best Magazine Programme: TV
Best News Story: TV
Best Sports Story: TV
Best Investigative Report: TV
Best Entertainment Programme: TV
Best News Story on Poverty Reduction and Empowerment of Vulnerable Groups: TV
Best Climate Change News Items: TV
Belize Climate Change Investigative Report: TV
Best Production on Land Degradation Neutrality: TV
Financial Literacy Journalism: TV
Health Education Journalism: TV
Best Social Media Content Creator
Best Videographer
Best Director TV
Best Producer TV
Best Sound Engineer TV
Channel 7 Belize was nominated in four categories: Best Documentary, Best News Item, Excellence in Environmental Reporting on Mangrove/Seagrass Beds and Belize Climate Change Investigative Report. Also from Belize, NVision LLP was nominated in the best documentary category.
This is the full list of nominations:
The CBU also shared that “there has also been an unprecedented response from the public to the People’s Choice Award nominees. The twelve (12) entries in this category published on the CBU website www.caribroadcastunion.org attracted more than three thousand online votes altogether by the close of voting on June 1, 2024.”
According to the CBU, the top performing nominees are from Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, and Belize. Leading the nominations is Jamaica’s RJRGLEANER Communications Group, with 29 nominations across its television, radio, and print services. Close behind is Trinidad & Tobago’s One Caribbean Media Group (OCM), securing 28 nominations across its print, television, and radio services.
The single outlet with the most nominations is Great Belize Productions Limited, with its television service, Channel 5, earning 25 nominations. Following is TTT Ltd, with 13 nominations.
Trinidad and Tobago had the highest number of nominated organisations, with eight outlets spanning television, print, radio, and digital media. Barbados followed with six locally based media organisations operating in radio, television, digital, and print services.
The 35th NGC CBU Caribbean Media Awards ceremony will take place at the Umaya Hotel in Placencia, Belize, on August 13, 2024. It will be broadcast on Channel 5.
Police are searching for four individuals involved in the theft of a Colombian vessel belonging to Stake Bank Limited.
The investigation began after a report on Thursday, June 6, 2024, indicated that four men, one armed with a firearm, entered the Stake Bank compound on mile 5 on the George Price Highway. According to police, the men assaulted two security guards and stole the company’s Colombian vessel that was docked in the canal.
No injuries were reported.
Police in San Ignacio are investigating a robbery turned murder which occurred earlier this morning in Santa Elena Town. According to the investigation, the victim has been identified as Sheng Wen Wu. He is a businessman.
Reports are that Wu had arrived at his residence on the George Price Highway when he was held at gunpoint by two men on a motorcycle.
The men demanded money from Wu. Wu managed to escape but was followed and shot several times. He died on the scene. Police are investigating.
A 59-year-old man in Mexico has died from a strain of bird flu known as H5N2, marking the first human case of this virus. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported the man, who was hospitalized in Mexico City, succumbed to the virus on April 24 after experiencing symptoms including fever, shortness of breath, diarrhea, nausea, and general discomfort.
The WHO stated that the source of the man’s infection remains unclear, although H5N2 has been detected in poultry in Mexico. Despite this, the current risk to the general population is considered low. The UN agency emphasized that there is no evidence of person-to-person transmission in this case, and all individuals who had contact with the deceased have tested negative.
In March, an outbreak of H5N2 was reported in a family unit in Michoacan, but it was deemed no threat to distant commercial farms or human health. Following the man’s death, Mexican authorities confirmed the presence of the virus and reported the case to the WHO.
It is not often that we hear a shooting victim, who also witnessed the murder of her friend, speak out about their encounter, especially when that victim was also supposed to be dead. But tonight, Maia James, a Belizean American, is sharing her story, two months after her friend, thirty-two-year-old Roy Burgess, was shot dead inside his vehicle on the Placencia Road. She was also inside the vehicle and was shot in the face. But she survived and remembers the entire ordeal vividly. James sat down with Breakbeat Media in the U.S. for an extensive interview. She recounted the night the incident occurred, the gunshots at close range and how she hid in some bushes with a gunshot injury to the head, while waiting for help to arrive. James saw her shooter and her friend’s murderer. He was also in the vehicle with them. She alleges that the suspect is Ellis Meighan, an individual wanted for questioning by police. Meighan fled to the U.S. where James says she tracked him down and informed U.S. authorities that he is a wanted in connection with a murder in Belize. It is an unbelievable tale of survival and bravery. News Five’s Paul Lopez report.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Thirty-two-year-old Roy Burgess was murdered on April fourteenth inside his vehicle on the Placencia Road. His friend, Maia James, was shot in the face during the incident. Investigators have since been seeking Belize City resident Ellis Meighan for questioning in connection with the murder. But Meighan fled to the U.S. where he is currently claiming asylum. That is the information the Commissioner of Police provided to the press five days ago.
May 31st, 2024
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“I think the issue with Ellis Meighan currently is that he is claiming asylum so I think the U.S. will go through that asylum process to see if he would meet the asylum to be granted asylum and if he does not meet the requirement then he will be sent back home. Bear in mind that we have already issued an arrest warrant for him, likewise, his wanted poster is out there. So the U.S. authorities should know that he is wanted in Belize and Interpol Belize is in communication with Interpol in the U.S. to make sure that there is proper coordination.”
Maia James, Placencia Shooting Victim
“I saw a car coming down the street and he was like this dah the bway deh right yah and he opened the car door and stepped out and when he did that I turned around and looked at this face and that is the only reason I am able to know what he looks like right now because I turned around and looked at his face. And by the time I turned around and looked at him all I heard was pop, pop, pop and I felt like fire on my air, like fire, it burnt so bad. When it happened I was like this cannot be gunshots right now. But I immediately fell between my legs, and I played dead for like a couple of minutes.”
Deciding to pretend dead could have been what saved James’ life. She says that after a couple minutes she grabbed her phone and placed it under the seat while trying to call her mom. She then got out of the vehicle and dragged herself into some nearby bushes.
Maia James
“The second call she answered I said “ma, Cat dead, Juice, Juice, Juice shoot me”. She thought I was playing. She said what? I said I just got shot. She said no, where are you, where are you. I was explaining to her the name of the resort, and she was not understanding me because my mouth is like swollen bad, everything is swollen. She sent her friend to the police station which was directly across the street from her house and that was the only reason why the police came, because nobody called. People heard gunshots, but nobody called the police, so. She called back and I answered and said ma, I cant hold back any more and I am going, I am going. She was like no, she started screaming. She was like listen to your baby cause my baby was crying tin the background. She was like listening to your baby, your kids need you.”
James says she knew that Burgess had succumbed to the injuries he sustained moments after he was shot. She recalls seeing someone with a flashlight, while she was lying in the bushes. She believed that the shooter had returned to the scene. Eventually the police arrived.
“I remember being with my mom on the phone. I had her on speaker and I was like shut up, they are coming back to look for me. Like shortly after that the cop showed up. To that day I don’t know who the person was, but I thought they came back. I thought he saw me running in the bush or something, so I am immediately thinking it was him. So the cops came, I saw the lights. I seen the cop lights, and I heard them get out of their cars but nobody is looking for me. I said police, I am here in the bushes. It was some tall bushes so I am kicking to make movement so they could find me. They were like you all hear that; someone is in the bushes. They found me and looked at me and said who did this to you? I said, Juice, Juice did this to me. As soon as I said Juice, it is like everybody knows who that is. He went straight to the cop car pulled up his picture, showed it to me, and I was like, yes him.”
“That same night a cop helped him out of the village. He was on the run until a couple days ago, thanks to me. If I didn’t live, they were friends, you know that right, if I didn’t live he would have shown up to his funeral and everything.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.
