2024-06-19 - Channel 5 Belize

Father and Son Caught in Deadly Gunfire on La Croix Blvd.

There was a murder in Belize City on Tuesday night and police are trying to figure out who the gunmen were that ambushed Jahiem Fitzgibbon and his father near La Croix Boulevard. The deadly shooting happened sometime around seven p.m., as the men were wrapping up some repair work they were doing on a vehicle that fifty-three-year-old Nimrod Fitzgibbon had recently bought. The fatal attack comes a surprise to the Fitzgibbon family, especially since Jaheim was described as an easygoing individual. News Five’s Isani Cayetano has more on the latest homicide in the Old Capital.

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

A father and son duo came under deadly gunfire on Tuesday night just off La Croix Boulevard in the Lake Independence area. Nimrod Fitzgibbon and twenty-year-old Jaheim Fitzgibbon were winding down for the evening after spending the day repairing a vehicle. The father is a mechanic who was working on a van that he had recently purchased. His sister is Christobel Fitzgibbon.

Christobel Fitzgibbon, Aunt of Deceased

“He tell me that dehn mi di fix this vehicle because he just buy this vehicle because he run di dollar van and then he seh di two persons dehn just pass. From deh, after a while ih seh well he gaan upstairs because dehn deh eena di vehicle di sihdown, so he gaan gaan light wahn mosquito coil fi bring down cause dehn di chill eena di vehicle.”

It was during that time that the gunmen pounced on the unsuspecting victim. When Nimrod Fitzgibbon heard the reports of gunfire, he immediately rushed outside to see what was happening. His response, nonetheless, was equally met with a volley of bullets.

Christobel Fitzgibbon

“When he come, he sih ih son drop. Soh when he sih ih son drop now, like he just gwein behind di gunman dehn and dehn staat to fire shot and one graze ahn ya pan ih left side and soh he seh he pick up ih son and he holla fi di neighbors and ask dehn fi help, and then dehn pick up ahn and ker ahn to the hospital.”

This morning, a team of investigators returned to the crime scene where several expended shells had been recovered. The grief-stricken family is still trying to understand why Fitzgibbon and his son were visited with extreme violence of action.

Christobel Fitzgibbon

“He have no issue with nobody. He like talk and he like run joke, you know, and he da somebody he wahn play games, you know, and dehn wah quarrel ova games, “Bwai, I di beat you.” Things like that. But he da noh wahn person weh trouble nobody or nothing, nothing, nothing.”

So, were the gunmen there to execute Nimrod Fitzgibbon instead?

Christobel Fitzgibbon

“Last month, my bredda get a death threat and he call me and seh, “Bella, I get a death threat.” And I seh, “Okay then, we gwein da di police go report this because then we noh play like that, you know.” And he seh, “I noh gwein da no police.” Ah tell ahn, yes, we gwein.” Ah tell ahn I noh play, we gwein, and so we gaan by Mahogany [Street] Extension and we mek di report. I call di person and mek di police dehn hear all ah di conversation we me and this person have and weh paat dis person seh he work and everything. And when di police dehn gaan he noh work da di call center or nothing by Coney Drive weh ih seh ih work. And from deh di police dehn neva did tek wahn statement or so fahn he.”

Instead, Fitzgibbons was informed that he needed to get in touch with CIB personnel for a request to be made through the telephone company to determine who the number belongs to. To date, the owner of the SIM card remains undetermined. In the aftermath of last night’s shooting, police have detained a close relative of the deceased.

Christobel Fitzgibbon

“So while at the hospital now, the GI3 gaan and dehn just start rough up Ervin Fitzgibbon and have ahn eena custody, stating that dehn di pick up ahn fi gang affiliation, and he done get charged fi gang affiliation and he di goh da court right now fi gang affiliation. Soh I really noh know how dehn di pick up ahn again fi that.”

Isani Cayetano

“Ervin Fitzgibbon is the other one from the other side of the city?”

Christobel Fitzgibbon

“Yes, that’s my son and he not even mi deh round when di incident happened or nothing. He neva deh nowhere near this area.”

Isani Cayetano for News Five.

Murder Trial against Earl Baptist Concludes in High Court

A murder trial involving twenty-three-year-old Earl Baptist as a prime suspect in the shooting death of Burrell Boom businessman Leslie Gillett has concluded in the High Court. Baptist is one of two men who allegedly entered Matilda’s Shop and executed Gillett in January 2022. A second suspect was never identified. Tonight, Baptist remains at the Belize Central Prison after appearing before Justice Derick Sylvester earlier today. The crown is relying on testimonies from Sergeant Santiago Perez, the police officer who retrieved the surveillance footage that captured Gillett’s murder, and Sergeant Rollington Fuller who positively identified Baptist as one of two shooters seen at Matilda’s Shop on the night in question. However, attorney Leeroy Banner is challenging the crown’s evidence, submitting that footage of the individual that Fuller claims to be Earl Baptist is not clear for anyone to identify with a degree of certainty. Justice Sylvester has reserved his ruling for June twenty-seventh.

Purse Snatcher Lands 2 years in Jail for Assault

Today, a man was handed two years and two months in prison for assaulting a police officer with a firearm. He is twenty-one-year-old Kenyon Flores. Reports are that around eight a.m. on June eighteenth, 2024, Luis Santoya, an off-duty police officer, was walking towards Wood Street in Belize City when he heard a woman shouting for help. He then spotted two men in the area, both of whom he recognized. One of the men, ran past Santoya while the other, identified as Flores, threw a purse, he had grabbed from the woman in his accomplice’s direction, causing it to fall to the ground. Santoya said that when he bent down to pick up the fallen bag, he came face-to-face with a revolver pistol, which he alleges Flores pulled from his pants. Fearing for his life, Santoya remained still, allowing the men to grab the purse and make good their escape. Shortly after, Santoya filed a report against Flores who was found guilty in court earlier today. The second suspect remains at large but his identity is known to the police. No charges have been levied for the robbery as the victim has yet to file a report.

Eddie Webster Resigns as Clerk of National Assembly

The longest serving Clerk of the National Assembly since independence in 1981 has tendered his resignation from parliament. Sixty-two-year-old Eddie Webster served two years as a senator, between 2008 and 2010, before being appointed Clerk of the National Assembly. Webster, a native of Dangriga, has served in that capacity for the past fourteen years. But tonight, News Five has confirmed that Webster is demitting office at the end of June. We understand that his relationship with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Valerie Woods, was oftentimes contentious. Webster’s recent notice of departure was delivered to Cabinet Secretary Stuart Leslie who has forwarded the letter to the Governor General. Late this evening, we spoke with Cabinet Minister Francis Fonseca about Webster’s pending resignation.

Francis Fonseca, Cabinet Minister

“I am just hearing that on the media. I haven’t heard that officially yet that he resigned but I know that Mr. Webster has reached retirement age for some time now. I think he is sixty-five or so. So, I know that for the past year or so he has been negotiating with the government a departure but I don’t know what happened today or yesterday specifically, but I am sure the government will put out a release on the matter, the speaker will put out a release on the matter.”

Nomination Day For Toledo East is July 2nd

As we reported on Tuesday, a writ of election has been signed by Governor General Froyla Tzalam ahead of a by-election in Toledo East on July seventeenth. Three candidates, including the People’s United Party standard bearer Dr. Osmond Martinez, U.D.P. standard bearer Dennis Williams, and P.N.P.’s Wil Maheia will contest the vacant seat. Earlier today, the Elections and Boundaries Department issued a notice that the Nomination Day will be held on Tuesday, July second. The Elections and Boundaries Department has also released a list of polling, nomination and counting stations.

P.U.P. Rejects Cyril Uruwei’s Candidacy in Dangriga

The People’s United Party has written to Cyril Garcia rejecting his application to run against Dangriga Area Representative, Doctor Louis Zabaneh in a convention to elect a new standard bearer for that constituency. On Friday, Garcia, who also goes by the name Cyril Uruwei, received a letter from Secretary General Linsford Castillo informing him that, quote, after careful review and deliberation, the decision was made not to approve your application. Instead, you are asked to support an endorsement of the incumbent at a convention which will be scheduled on a date and at a time and venue to be announced, end quote. News Five spoke with Garcia at Independence Hall following the submission of his application on May twenty-fourth. Here’s what he had to say about the sitting area rep and his belief that there is a faction within the P.U.P. that was working against him.

Cyril “Uruwei” Garcia, Political Aspirant, P.U.P.

“I go around, I move around, I ask people, I always ask, how yoh feel about Dangriga? How yoh feel about the current area rep? And we don’t get no good news about the current area rep Louis Zabaneh and he has two Ph.D.’s, he’s written a book and what’s coming out of the people’s mouths is that he’s not at their level. He appears to be all the way up there and we are the ones crawling on the ground. There’s a few, there’s a handful in the executive in the PUP party who have prematurely endorsed Louis Zabaneh. That is not democracy, it’s premature. We don’t accept it, we reject it and we want a fair chance. We want the people of Dangriga to choose who will represent them, who will talk for them, who will go and ask on their behalf, right. So that’s all we ask, a fair convention. I want to appeal to PM Briceño, you put out a statement stating that anyone can apply within the thirty-one constituencies. Here I am applying and I am appealing to PM Briceno to practice democracy. Be a man of your word. This is your opportunity to show Dangriga that you are a man of your word, that you are honest, you’re truthful and you’re gonna give us a convention. As a matter of fact, we’re demanding a convention.”

Cyril Uruwei is Disappointed with P.U.P. Decision

This afternoon, News Five spoke with Cyril Garcia who says he’s disappointed with the outcome his application.

Cyril “Uruwei” Garcia, Political Aspirant, P.U.P.

“My reaction was, you know, it was a fifty-fifty that I was expecting the type of response that I got, but if I should choose one word, it‘s disappointing because it came without any kind of reason whatsoever. To me, it was quickly drafted up and said, “here.” You know, so, to say the least, I was disappointed.

Isani Cayetano

“Now when we spoke with you on the day of your application being submitted, you kind of alluded to the fact that you wanted this to be a very clean and open process under the tenets of democracy. What made you feel as though perhaps there was something working against you?”

Cyril Garcia

“To be honest, I’ve been going around talking to different people and I have advisors, people who counsel me, people who advise me and I have learned over the couple of weeks that we are, our people, Belizeans, we think within a certain frame of politics and it’s hard to see outside of that. So, as I am going around and talking to different people, I am learning more and more and what I’ve been seeing and hearing the most is that the information that is being given is that you have one set of rules and people tend to make calculations within a certain boundary, nobody seems to want to get out of the box and challenge the powers that be.”

Councilor Allan Pollard’s Application to Contest Port Loyola Seat Denied

The People’s United Party’s executive rejected Deputy Mayor Allan Pollard’s application to challenge sitting Port Loyola Area Representative Gilroy Usher in a convention. Pollard is a three-term Belize City councilor whose candidacy in the Queen Square Division failed in the 2020 general election. He had his eyes set on Port Loyola for the 2025 general election, but his party executive is saying, not so fast. Today, we spoke with Francis Fonseca, a senior member of the party who was in that party executive meeting last week Thursday when the decision was made. Here is what he told us about what went down inside that meeting.

Francis Fonseca, Cabinet Minister

“I think all of us in the party at every level, I know from the leader down, all of us think very highly of Allan. We view him as a very promising young man but there are processes that must be followed in the party. there are structures in the party for a reason. So, people are allowed to apply but then that goes through a vetting process and the national executive is the final step in that process. So, to be the national campaign committee, the vetting committee that made the decision, that they recommended to the national executive that Gilroy usher be the only candidate for Port Loyola. And the national executive accepted that recommendation. That does not mean the party thinks any less of Allan Pollard. He has been a dynamic young candidate for the P.U.P. at the location election level, the city council level. He has topped the polls so we are very proud of Allan so all of us have supported him every way we can. It was the consensus view, certainly not everyone, but the majority agreed that at this time it was best to allow the current area reop who was just elected for the first time in 2020 to build on the success that he has had in Port Loyola.”

Reporter

“Did you support Pollard’s candidacy?”

Francis Fonseca

“I accepted and supported the recommendation of the committee and the vetting committee which supported Gilroy Usher not being challenged.”

Is the P.U.P. An Old Man’s Party?

So, what does the P.U.P.’s decision to reject Allan Pollard’s application for Port Loyola say to Belize’s youth population. Pollard is viewed as a young and promising politician by many, while there are ongoing conversations about the need for the P.U.P. to bridge its generational gap. We heard from Minister Fonseca.

Paul Lopez

“What message do you think this decision is sending to young people and do you agree that there is a generation gap that needs to take place? The P.U.P. is being defined as an old man’s party.”

Francis Fonseca, Cabinet Minister

“None at all, we have wonderful young people in the party working for the P.U.P. IN the city council here in the Belize City we had dynamic young candidates representing the P.U.P. including Allan, but many others, including Kaya Cattouse, Malcom Nunez, many others Eluide Miller, these are dynamic young people who are proud to be members. All the work we are doing is about engaging young people, I know all the work I am doing in education and culture is about engaging with young people, providing more opportunities for young people, so I think people understand that and I think young people understand that they have government in the P.U.P. government in the office that is absolutely committed to their upliftment, absolutely committed to providing greater opportunities for them whether it is jobs, education, housing, land, on all those fronts we are doing everything we can to provide opportunities for young people. In the case of Corozal Bay, that was a recommendation of the process we have in place, recommendation of the vetting committee the national executive accepted that recommendation. We have these structures in place for a reason and so that was what they recommend, and we accepted.”

Understanding Freedom of the Press

The Freedom of the Press refers to the right to report news or circulate information without censorship from the government. In a democratic society, the media, often described as the fourth estate, carries the mandate of holding governments accountable. However, in a recent cabinet meeting, a piece of legislation was approved for submission that seeks to criminalize the unauthorized publication or disclosure of videos, photos or statements that are part of an ongoing criminal investigation, which may endanger the lives of witnesses or compromise the integrity of an investigation. If approved, will this legislation hinder the freedom of the press in the country? How will this affect the landscape of reporting in Belize. News Five’s Britney Gordon explores those questions in this week’s Five-point Breakdown. Here is that report.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

The role of the media is to relay accurate information to the public, acting as a forum for the discussion of important issues and to point a critical lens at the government and other institutions. It is through the media that the public becomes aware of the daily injustices occurring around them that would otherwise fly under the radar. In a recent case, a video depicting a child being abused by his stepfather was circulated online, sparking public outrage. The police were swift to apprehend the perpetrator, who was prosecuted by Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams. Every day, videos, pictures, and testimonies with stories like these are shared to the media with the intention of creating a mouthpiece for the truth.

THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“I can’t say what I want to say publicly but when I first saw the video, the first thing came to my mind was, is this really Belize? That’s the first thing that came to my mind. And then the next thing that came to my mind, is this actually a person? Is this person a man? I don’t know, but the level of abuse that thing I put for that child is disgusting and it should be condemned in its greatest term. No child should be subjecting to such abuse.”

However, there is a change looming. Recently, the cabinet approved the submission of legislation that seeks to criminalize the publication of videos, photos or statements that are part of an ongoing investigation. Minister of Home Affairs Kareem Musa said that this legislation aims to protect the lives of witnesses and avoid compromising ongoing investigations.

THE LEGISLATION

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs

“Like I said, many times these things make their rounds on social media and mainstream media even before police officers arrive at the scene. And so we have to be very mindful and understanding of that because yes, the media is smart enough to know that particular video will be the subject of a criminal investigation because you can see the perpetrators in that particular video. But I think move, like I said, moving forward from the point of an investigator coming on the scene and investigating a particular crime. If it is that video footage is a critical part of the evidence forms a critical part of the evidence, then a classification will have to be made on a notice put out to the media and to other individuals that this video ought not to be circulated.”

The announcement of this legislation raised eyebrows among several members of the media, who use these videos to tell the stories that the public have the right to hear and see. Former police corporal Elmer Nah will stand trial for a triple-murder committed in 2022. The New Year’s Eve incident swept through the nation, as there was surveillance footage capturing the moment just before the deadly shootings occurred. Without this footage, much of the story would have been lost. Several in-house systems already exist within media to avoid compromising ongoing investigations. Isani Cayetano, Channel Five’s News Director, shares his concerns about the proposed classification system.

A CAUSE FOR CONCERN

Isani Cayetano, News Director, Channel 5

“The primary concern that I would have and I would presume that my colleagues in the media would have is one, the protection of sources, particularly when they provide sensitive information to us for our respective newscasts or for the publications that are either weekly or biweekly. I think being able to have the kind of confidence in our sources and the ease for them to be able to share information with us is paramount. When you look at what the proposed amendment seeks to do, the question is whether that impinges on our freedom to exchange information.”

This concern is reaffirmed by News Director Jules Vasquez, who says that it is something that must be carefully examined before it is approved.

Jules Vasquez, News Director, Tropical Belize Productions

“It does portend to have a chilling effect because once you penalize the dissemination of information, especially pictures and video, you are starting to get into a very, to me, a very shady area or a very suspect area that could have an effect or could act as a fetter on the freedom of the press and anything that threatens to do that. We have to oppose my specific concern with it is that many times we receive videos or surveillance videos or pictures of certain crime situations. And you know, you operate in a newsroom we use our very deliberate judgment to protect witnesses, to protect children, to protect the innocent, et cetera.”

PROTECTING CITIZENS

Ensuring the safety of the public is a primary concern for the media which is why there are regulations set by the Belize Broadcasting Authority. Louis Wade, who sits on the board, told us that the problem is not solely with the media.

Louis Wade, Board Member, Belize Broadcasting Authority

“When the media looks at a particular story, most of the journalist are already trained on how to put that story forward to ensure that we do not tamper with any process that is in the court or we do put the life of witnesses at risk. However, the media plays a very important role on behalf of the government or police, but on behalf of the people because the people have a right to know.”

FREEDOM OF THE PRESS

Belize’s constitution currently does not include a freedom of the press act, but the does protect the freedom of expression which permits the communication of ideas and information without interference. However, it further states that provisions are made to protect the lives and rights off those involved with legal proceedings. Darrell Bradley, attorney at law spoke with us about how a legislation like this can be drafted without infringing on the freedom of the press.

Darrell Bradley, Attorney at Law

“There’s nothing in principle that is wrong with wanting to protect witnesses and wanting to protect information that may damage or cause any kind of safety concerns to a particular witness. But you want that to be limited because you want to ensure that the laws are not used in a way that would promote censorship.”

Britney Gordon for News Five.