Man Charged in Deadly Labor Day Shooting in Belize City

A Belize City man is behind bars tonight, charged in connection with a deadly Labor Day shooting. Twenty-two-year-old Jamal Brackett, a construction worker from Mayflower Street, has been arraigned for the murder of sixty-one-year-old Carlos Enriquez Avelar. Brackett appeared in court this morning, unrepresented, and was read a single charge of murder. Due to the seriousness of the offense, no plea was taken, and bail was denied. He’s been remanded to the Belize Central Prison until August eighteenth. Police say the fatal shooting happened just after eight p.m. on May first, along Coney Drive. Avelar was reportedly walking near the corner of Coney Drive and Sunrise Avenue when two men on a motorcycle approached. One of them opened fire, hitting Avelar multiple times before fleeing the scene. He was rushed to K.H.M.H. but was pronounced dead on arrival. Investigators recovered expended shells and blood swabs from the scene, and the case is now in the hands of the courts.