Murder of Wilbert Banks, Jr., Stuns Cycling World

Officials of the Belize Cycling Federation, cyclists, and cycling enthusiasts were stunned Saturday morning to learn of the Friday night murder of thirty-eight-year-old Wilbert Banks Junior. The father of one was shot dead before midnight on Friday night on Lake Garden Road in Ladyville. Police say they responded to the report of the killing around eleven-thirty-five Friday night and found a dark Toyota Rav-Four crashed into a bungalow house. Inside the vehicle, Banks was already dead. By Sunday night, police had already charged another man with the homicide as they piece together the motive behind the killing. Banks, by all accounts, was an important part of the cycling world, providing transportation for the coverage of the cycling federation’s events. Described as a humble man who was willing to help anyone who needed it, Banks was the motorcycle driver for Andrew Ordonez, who covered the Holy Saturday Cross Country Cycling Classic. And on Sunday, Ordonez and the federation held a ride that drew over two hundred riders in his memory. News Five’s Marion Ali reports.

 

Marion Ali, Reporting

This bullet-riddled Toyota Rav-4 is where thirty-eight-year-old Wilbert Banks Jr., met his death sometime around eleven-thirty on Friday night. Banks, who worked at Ordonez Bike Shop and assisted the Belize Cycling Federation with transportation duties for the coverage of cycling events, was driving along the Lake Garden Road in Ladyville when someone opened fire on his vehicle, hitting him several times and killing him. The severely wounded Banks lost control of the vehicle, which tore down a portion of a fence before it slammed into a house. One of the occupants of the house told News Five off-camera that she was concerned that the vehicle would explode.

 

Voice of: Lake Garden Resident

“I mi just get up fi use the bathroom and gwein back eena wa doze when I hear the shots fire. Usually we hear it, ih normal. So we she da mussi on the main and one minute after, the vehicle slam into the house. When we open the window, I say probably that one of my bus get it, and I look at nothing. And my husband come out in the hall and as he open the window he see the vehicle. I called my mom weh live eena Lord’s Bank area and she come, and the guys, weh come with her call fi assistance. But we couldn’t do nothing because the man was already motionless. The vehicle was still on, his foot was on the gas, and probably the radiator leaked out all the water. And it made all the smoke, so we were afraid and the guys shut down the vehicle before it exploded or something catch fire.”

 

Police investigations have revealed that the murder was the result of a three-way love affair between a woman and the two men, the deceased and the accused. Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams told the media today that investigators discovered the woman’s cell phone at the crime scene, and that led them to their suspect.

 

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“Searches were conducted by the police in the city area to locate the woman whose phone was found on the scene. The woman was subsequently found along with another male person who happened to be her common-law-husband, who has been identified as one Chrismar Espinoza. Chrismar Espinoza has been convicted of murder before and on appeal, his murder conviction was reduced to manslaughter and recently got released from prison. It is our understanding through the investigation that prior to him going to prison, he was with the woman and when he went to prison, she had an affair with the now deceased. And when he came out of prison, he got back with the woman and, Chrismar found out of her affair with the now deceased and based on that he went and committed the crime against Mr. Banks.”

 

Banks, also known as Yellow, played a major role in the cycling world. He provided transportation for the live coverages that the Belize Cycling Federation held – his last such role being the Holy Saturday Cross Country Cycling Classic. And on Sunday, Banks’ employer, Andrew Ordonez and the federation held a ride against violence in memory of him, as well as in memory of Banks’ brothers Kadeem Banks and Edison Usher who lost their lives two years ago while going to cover the Female Cross Country race. The riders were touched by Banks’ murder and turned out en masse to ride against violence.

 

Leticia Westby, General Secretary, Cycling Federation of Belize

“We are shocked. Everybody’s shocked in reference to what has happened. We know that there’s a real increase in gun violence in Belize, and we find that sports should be an alternative.”

 

Andrew Ordonez, Employer of Wilbert Banks Jr.

“We want your awareness to gun violence. In this latest case we were supposed to have a ride in memory of his brother, Kadeem Banks and Edison Usher, who lost their lives almost two years ago, right? And we were supposed to have that ride, but this incident happened, and it shocked the whole – the entire Belize – a big part of the world. He was a humble giant. You could ask him to do anything, so he’s not only an employee to me or a friend he’s like a son.”

 

Michael Lewis, Friend of Wilbert Banks Jr.

“Things like that [should] never happen to a man like that. And you know something, a lot of cyclists, they shoot them by a gun. Cyclists, they should never go like that. Remember Elbert Pope gone, Jawmeighan gone, everybody start to go and buy a gun.”

 

Gabrielle Gabourel, Friend of Wilbert Banks Jr.

“He was very involved in the sport. You come to Donez’ shop, he’s here helping to service the bikes. He’s out every race, helping with the live streams. And so he was very involved. It hurts the cycling community a lot to lose someone like him.”

 

Dwayne Wade, Friend of Wilbert Banks Jr

“I just want to urge the whole public, man, honestly, think with love. Once you think with love, everything will be alright. Because You are walking away from a conflict.”

 

The ride went through the John Smith Link Road, where Banks’ only child, his daughter, Auriyah Banks, went to see the ride that was being ridden in memory of her father. At the end of the ride in front of his father’s residence on Euphrates Avenue, Wilbert Banks Senior, overcome by grief, told us off-camera that now he has no son because both of them are dead. His brother, Frederick Banks, who rode in memory of his nephew, told News Five that the family is now grieving two brothers.

 

Frederick Banks, Uncle of Wilbert Banks

“This coming week will be two years since my next nephew died, right? So now the two of them die on the same month, you know, so it’s like very hard for the family and my brother who’s their father, you know. And we do this ride today to make everybody know that we are tired of the violence. We are tired of people killing people for no reason. My little nephew nuh hurt nobody. He’s friend to everybody. Everybody know him as a calm person. He doesn’t even talk hard to nobody, you know. It’s very hard for our family right now, but we will pull through it.”

 

The ride had the participation of several children cyclists, some of them not even ten years old. Marion Ali for News Five.