Elsewhere in Belize City this weekend, another individual was the target of a drive-by shooting on King Street. Avery Usher was outside when a vehicle appeared on the scene and someone inside took aim at him. An officer who happened to be in the vicinity, returned fire at the fleeing vehicle.
“Police responded to a shooting incident at King Street in Belize City. Upon their arrival they found Avery Usher with a gunshot injury. Information is that Usher was standing on King Street when a vehicle pulled up and one of the occupants fired several shots towards his direction. A police officer who was in the area at the time then fired towards the vehicle which sped off. Usher is presently at the K.H.M.H. recovering and we have not detained anyone so far for this investigation.”
In Belmopan on Friday night, a security guard on duty at the Mall Gas Station was shot by a pair of armed thieves who made off with his weapon. Police say Ismael Miguel was rushed to the Western Regional Hospital where he remains in a stable condition.
“Police responded to a report of a shooting incident at the Mall Gas Station in Belmopan. Upon arrival they found Ismael Miguel with a gunshot injury. He was rushed to the hospital for treatment. Information received is that Miguel was working security duties at the gas station when two male persons on a motorcycle arrived at the area. He was held up and thereafter shot. Thereafter the male persons proceeded to steal the firearm from the security guard and some cash from two of the attendants who were at the gas station at the time. Investigation into this matter continues.”
Isani Cayetano
“What is the extent of the injury to the person who was [shot]?”
Hilberto Romero
“The victim is presently in a stable condition and is in recovery.”
Sixty-seven-year-old Griffith Cadle was stabbed to death by someone he was socializing with on Thursday night. The men were at a store on Saint Joseph Street near its intersection with Nurse Seay Street when his friend reportedly inflicted the fatal stab wound. Residents describe Cadle as easygoing and mild-mannered, but why would his friend who was recently released from the Belize Central Prison turn on him with deadly consequence? We turned to the Regional Commander of Eastern Division for an answer.
“On Thursday, June 13th, 2024, police responded to a stabbing incident on St. Joseph Street in Belize City. Upon their arrival, they saw the motionless body of Griffith Cadle sixty-seven years [old] with a stabbing injury. Information received is that Griffith Cadle was with another male person consuming alcoholic beverages at a store nearby and he was walking on the street when this person approached him and inflicted a stab wound injury to him. In regards to this investigation, we have one person in custody and the investigation continues at this time.”
Isani Cayetano:
“We understand that the suspect who is reportedly a friend of Mr. Cadle’s was recently released from the Belize Central Prison.”
Hilberto Romero
“That is correct. He was recently released from prison.”
Isani Cayetano
“Can you tell me what, if any, was the mental state of either of these two individuals?”
Hilberto Romero
“I cannot say. All I know is that they were hanging out at that area and all of that is being followed up as part of the investigation.”
A.C.P. Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander, Eastern Division, told reporters today that several persons are detained in relation to the shooting of thirty-one-year-old Austin Underwood and Doris Grant.
A.C.P. Romero said investigators believe the motive is gang-related. “We are following up on several leads…”
Both victims were treated and released.
The incident happened on Sunday, June 16th. According to police, the victims were returning from an event at approximately 3:10 a.m. When they passed the Fairweather bridge, someone emerged from the alley connecting Fairweather and West Collet Canal and fired multiple gunshots towards them, injuring them. They drove to the hospital for medical attention.
A man was stabbed to death sometime before ten p.m. on Thursday in Belize City. It happened at the corners of Saint Joseph and Nurse Seay Street. Reports are that the victim, Griffith Cadle Junior, was hanging out with someone who ended up turning on him. It is not clear what transpired, but both men were reportedly near a Chinese grocery shop, where the two had spent many days socializing. They were last seen walking on Saint Joseph Street when the killer produced a knife and stabbed Cadle, who sought to run away, but collapsed. News Five’s Marion Ali visited the scene and filed this report.
Marion Ali, Reporting
Griffith Cadle Junior was fatally stabbed on Thursday night in Belize City, in the general vicinity where he had spent most of his days hanging out. This is where the sixty-seven-year-old collapsed after he suffered the fatal knife wound. News Five spoke with a resident of the area who also happened to be Cadle’s relative. She told us that he was an easy-going character and was the neighborhood errand man who hung out near the corner of Nurse Seay and St. Joseph’s Streets.
Voice of: Neighbour #1
Voice of: Neighbour #1
“Cadle da mi cousin, but he nuh fast with nobody. When I say nobody, he keep to ihself – always he want a Coke and cigarettes, because ih sit down right deh by the Chiney deh. Ih always deh out deh di sit down but he get killed fi nothing. Fi nothing ih get killed. Dehn kill wa innocent man for what? Nothing, because all weh he do he sit down out deh, ih goh buy fi people round ya. And you could ask he fi goh anywhere fi you, he gwein, anywhere, he gwein. So when I see that last night, I say, mein, who could have wanted him dead?”
Another resident agreed that the victim was not troublesome and was a regular sight in front of the shop.
Voice of: Neighbour #2
Voice of: Neighbour #2
“Cadle da wa humble man, nice, friendly, nuh bother nobody. And he well mannerly, and things like that. He da wa humble man, nuh really bother nobody. A person like that da nuh wa problem. He just drink his Coke and run his joke and mind his own business. He nuh really associate with people. He sit down far from people and he nuh really stand up round or things like that. He keep his distance.”
And while residents feel that Cadle did not deserve what happened to him, today the Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams told News Five that both the victim and the suspect had mental challenges.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“We don’t know if it’s going to be a murder because it was a matter between two persons with mental illness. The victim suffered mental illness and from what we saw on video footage, both the victim and the suspect were hanging out together at a particular spot. They left together and shortly thereafter, the suspect inflicted the stab wound on the victim. The suspect recently got out of prison. He served a ten-year sentence, I’m not sure for what, and the court had ordered that he undergo psychiatric evaluation because he has a mental issue. He is currently in police custody and he is not stable, so police cannot even interview him at this time because of how he’s behaving in the cell.”
The commissioner indicated that the police have requested assistance from the mental health institution to administer medication to calm the suspect down, after which they’re going to send the file to the D.P.P. for a directive. Marion Ali for News Five.
Twenty-nine-year-old Joseph Vaccaro walked away from court a free man earlier today after beating a second murder charge. The Belize City resident was accused of the execution style shooting of a Chinese businessman of eighty-eight Shopping Center in November 2019. Zheng Cheng Liu was shot and killed near mile four on the George Price Highway. Vaccaro learned his fate when he appeared before Justice Derick Sylvester in the High Court. Prosecutor Riis Cattouse could not proceed with the trial because he was unable to locate the crown’s main witness. The D.P.P.’s office noted that the Belize Police Department had also attempted to locate the witness but those efforts were futile. Cattouse subsequently entered a case of nolle prosqui which set Vaccaro free.
Thirty-seven-year-old Calaney Flowers took a plea bargain when she appeared before Justice Derick Sylvester earlier today. She pleaded guilty to manslaughter almost twelve years after she crashed into her ex-boyfriend, Lyndon Morrison, fatally injuring him. In the wake of the deadly incident, Flowers was charged for murder and remanded to the Belize Central Prison. She was eventually acquitted of murder and the Director of Public Prosecutions appealed the verdict. The Court of Appeal later ordered a retrial. When Flowers appeared before the High Court along with attorney Leeroy Banner, she pleaded to the lesser charge of manslaughter and was sentenced to ten years in prison. But Justice Sylvester the five years that she was on remand and ordered that the remaining five years be suspended, concluding that after twelve years in the criminal justice system, Flowers will not re-offend. With that, she was also able to walk out of court a free woman.
Police Commissioner Chester Williams was in Santa Cruz Village, Stann Creek, today following a disturbing video of a group of boys bullying and later physically assaulting Jose Daniel Amador.
The video, which went viral, enraged the public, with many calling for the bullies to be criminally charged. ComPol Williams later provided an update, saying, “An official report had been lodged with the police, and the boys doing the bullying are in custody.”
In an interview with News Five, Williams explained that he sought to conduct an intervention after a woman posted a video on Thursday night showing that Amador’s family was being threatened by the family of one of the bullies.
Police Commissioner Chester Williams
When asked for his thoughts regarding the department’s swift actions, Amador said, “I feel good, and that is good for the country and for the world so that bullies can stop.” He said that his parents taught him to ignore bullies. He said he preferred to leave the matter in the hands of the police. Amador said he knew the bullies were videoing the incident.
He said that videoing their acts was the worst decision they made because it proved what they did. Amador says this is the second time that he has been bullied by the group of boys.
Williams told News Five that he will ask the court to order the bullies to visit the Belize Central Prison to learn what prison is about. “So that they understand if they continue the lifestyle that they are having in terms of bullying people, where they might end up.” Williams will also ask the court to order that the boys be the faces of an anti-bullying campaign.
Oscar Selgado was slapped with a ten-year sentence by High Court Justice Nigel Pilgrim. The sentence is to run as of March 8th, 2024. Justice Pilgrim said, “”No sacred cows and no one is above the law.”
In early March, the High Court found the fifty-four-year-old attorney guilty of abetment to commit murder. Selgado had attempted to hire gang member Giovanni Ramirez to carry out the murder of Marilyn Barnes, who had made a complaint to the General Legal Counsel against Selgado for unethical behavior. Ramirez was the prosecution’s main witness, and in his ruling, Justice Pilgrim determined that Ramirez’s evidence was truthful and reliable.
This is the first time that apracticing attorney has been convicted of such a crime. During the trial, Selgado was represented by Adolph Lucas Sr. Selgado has been on remand since being charged.
In May, Selgado’s new attorney, Arthur Saldivar, advocated for a non-custodial sentence for his client. Selgado’s diabetic condition was a central topic of discussion in court. Reports indicate that his health has worsened in Belize Central Prison due to inadequate nutrition and the lack of a full-time doctor. The High Court considered these concerns, with several witnesses, including a medical professional and Virgilio Murillo, the CEO of the Belize Central Prison, called to testify.
Police in Belize City are investigating a murder that occurred last night on St. Joseph Street. The victim has been identified as sixty-seven-year-old Griffith McNaughton Cadle. Reports indicate that Cadle was fatally stabbed.
Cadle was in the company of a man believed to be his killer. They were seen walking towards Baymen Avenue and then onto Nurse Seay Street when Cadle was stabbed.
Investigators found a knife believed to be the murder weapon at the scene.
One of Griffith’s neighbours described Cadle as a humble and mannerly man. She told News Five that she was shocked when she learned that Cadle had been murdered.
