Couple Murdered at Home in Roaring Creek; Minor Shot  

A man and a woman were murdered inside their small home in the Hilltop area of Roaring Creek just before nine-thirty on Sunday night. A third person, the woman’s fifteen-year-old son, was shot in his leg but survived. He is in the Western Regional Hospital receiving treatment. The incident has come as a shock to the community because the residents say the couple were peaceful residents who have lived there for the past five years. But while police are looking for leads and suspects, they say it has nothing to do with the recent State of Emergency which also saw some residents of Roaring Creek swept up and incarcerated. The victims are Morcel Neal and Saida Perez. Investigators have different perspectives on who the intended target was. Marion Ali visited Roaring Creek today and has that report.

 

Voice of: First Responder

“He said “they just shot Ms Chaya da back deh,” he said “but I afraid fi goh me one. I want somebody to go with me.” So I tell ah right now because the place is relatively dark.”

 

Marion Ali, Reporting

The voice that this Roaring Creek resident heard calling out in front of his house last night was that of another resident who heard the shots that had just killed two residents and wounded a minor. The victims, Saida Perez and her common-law husband, Morcel Neal, both forty-seven, were at home when they came under attack. Perez’s fifteen-year-old son was also shot in his leg and is in the Western Regional Hospital. The resident told News Five that he accompanied his neighbour to the murder scene and tried to keep the premises secure for police processing.

 

Voice of: First Responder

“I went with him and then that is when the other people arrived – a lady who identified herself as the daughter and said she wanted to check for her mother so I tell her “you could go in but try not to contaminate the scene. And it went into the metal house, the zinc house. And that’s where she found her mother.”

 

Another resident said she was talking to a neighbour when she heard a barrage of gunshots.

 

Voice of: Neighbour

“I was sitting with the next neighbor. We were talking and we heard like a lot of shots. So I nuh count how much and then I tell her that sound like shots, right? And then she said “I’m going home.” So I tell her go home because I wa lock up.”

 

Today, Police Commissioner, Chester Williams assured that this attack was not related to the recent state of emergency in which a number of Roaring Creek residents were incarcerated. He and Assistant Commissioner, Hilberto Romero said the incident had to do with a dispute.

 

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“The victims are not known to be involved in drugs or gangs or anything other than the fact that we know that the deceased’s husband was somewhat of an alcoholic. What we’re gathering that there was some dispute with some people yesterday, and that is what may have led to that particular murder. We’re still trying to confirm certain things.”

 

ASP Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander, Eastern Division

“Information is that both were at their house at Warren Creek when a person with a firearm entered and fired shots towards Syedah Pierce, causing her fatal injuries. Thereafter, Morcel Neal appeared and he was also shot.  We are trying to establish a motive for this murder. The information we have got out that the female was the target. She was shot and when the other person showed up, he was also shot.”

 

Alicia Perez, who lives in Belmopan, told us that her sister visited them two weeks ago and told them she wanted to see her son through high school.

 

Voice of: Alicia Perez, Sister of Deceased

“She come here and then she just here, like here, and we was. She was talking about her son that she loved him a lot and she need to work hard for him. And that’s the only because his son father passed away. She was the only one who could help him. She was like two years. She didn’t come here till that day. She come and she was talking to us like, like a normal day and she went.”

 

Marion Ali for News Five.