There has been a spike in gang violence across Belize City in the last seven days, resulting in multiple shooting incidents that have left three men dead and several other persons injured, including businesswoman Doris Grant. The spate of shootings began in the early hours of June sixteenth, when Grant and her common-law husband Austin Underwood came under gunfire as they drove home from a concert. In the wake of that attack, there has been an upsurge in gang-related violence that Commissioner of Police Chester Williams attributes to the music played at the event.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“This gang world issue, there are persons who are very thin-skinned, they are very insensitive and it takes just a little to spark them. I have always said, we must do our work in such a way where we do not allow one idiot to go and do something stupid and then that creates or that would normally create that chain of events. We saw where, again, as a society we accept too much negativity. I don’t know who inspired anybody to have brought Trinibad to Belize. Trinibad cyant go play, or cyant go deejay da many countries in the Caribbean. But we weh done have wah very vulnerable society where gangs are concerned, we wah bring that kinda deejay to Belize. Right at Trinibad, da deh everything start, you know. Right there, it started and it spills over. Now, in terms of dealing with the whole issue, we tried our best to clip the root, but by that time ih done spread already. So we saw where it went from Southside to Supal Street, to BLC, to PIV and then now to Conch Shell Bay. So it spreads. It just takes one spark and it spreads like a wild fire.”
A deadly attack occurred on Sunday afternoon on Mahogany Street in Belize City and when it was over, a man was dead, and another sat critically wounded inside the vehicle they were traveling in. The incident happened on Mahogany Street in the Lake-I community, literally a stone’s throw away from a police substation. The passenger in the car, Stanley Moore, was dead before he was even taken to the K.H.M.H. Today, News Five’s Marion Ali spoke with his grieving mother, Jennifer Wade, who is currently in the United States. She posted an audio message on Facebook in which her deceased son said that policemen were allegedly out to get him. Here’s that report.
Marion Ali, Reporting
The peace of Sunday afternoon was broken on Mahogany Street, less than a block from the police sub-station, when gunshots rang out around four p.m. The two occupants of a grey BMW car came under fire. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams shares what he knows of the incident.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“The two individuals were in the area yesterday in a vehicle and while there, they came under fire from an individual. We already know who that person is and we are looking for that individual. One person died as a result of that attack and one is critically ill in the hospital. We’re hoping and praying that the one who is in the hospital critically ill is going to pull through and he will be able to give us some more specifics in terms of that incident. But again, these are the things that we spoke about.”
Williams says that the area is constantly patrolled by police officers and that moments before the crime took place, they had passed that location. Regional Commander for Eastern Division, A.C.P Hilberto Romero identified the two victims and says that they have one of two suspects in custody.
“The two persons were identified as Stanley Moore and Joshua Gillett. Stanley Moore was pronounced dead on arrival at the KHMH and Joshua Gillett received treatment and is now in a stable condition. We have one person in custody for this murder who will be charged later on today for the crime of murder. And we are seeking one more suspect.”
This afternoon, News Five spoke via phone with Stanley Moore’s mother, Jennifer Wade, who is currently in the U.S. She made a Facebook post including an audio clip she said her son sent her, accusing police officers of targeting him. Wade told us that she did not get a chance to ask him who those persons were.
Voice of: Jennifer Wade
Voice of: Jennifer Wade, Mother of Stanley Moore
“I never send a message till seven o’clock the morning when I get up and when I see the message, I pick up my phone and I send ah back wa voice clip clip saying, son, stay outta dehn way. Goh home if yoh have to go home make yoh nuh deh round the police dehn. Ih never have a phone, but I could not be tapped on because I’m a while here, straight up fi ask ah what really happened, nuh just tell me the police dehn deh after yoh, dehn di provoke yoh, weh nuh seh nothing, but I never get to talk to ah.”
What’s worse is that Moore’s older brother had just arrived in Belize just minutes before Moore was murdered and only found out about the crime when he went to look for him. Wade said that Moore had been trying to reform his life and had found a job to help himself. When we asked Romero about the accusation that Moore had made against the police, he said there was no information to share.
Britney Gordon
“In regards to Stanely Moore, his mother made some complaints that he was being harassed by police officer. Do you have any information about this?”
A.C.P Hilberto Romero
“I do not have that information.”
Britney Gordon
“She released a statement from him, an audio recording of him saying that if anything should happen to him the police are responsible. So there’s no information regarding if he had an incident with a police officer?”
Tonight, family and friends are mourning the loss fifty-year-old Dion Bowden, also known as Mister T, who was gunned down in Belize City over the weekend. Reports are that he was walking down Pitts Alley in the wee small hours of Saturday morning, when he was approached by a gunman and fatally shot.
Jeffery Pott
Police have since arrested and charged thirty-five-year-old construction worker, Jeffery Pott, who was identified through video footage and an eyewitness. He was arraigned this morning in court where he was read a single charge of murder. No plea was taken from Pott and due to the nature of the offense, he was denied bail and remanded into custody at the Belize Central Prison until August twenty-third, 2024. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with the report.
Destiny Allen
Destiny Allen, Partner of Deceased
“I mi get wa dream bout ah from before that happened. I mih get wa a dream, and I mih warn ah. so many times, never fih mih gone out deh and ih still persisted and gone.”
Britney Gordon, reporting
The death of fifty-year-old Dion Bowden, or Mister T, as he was otherwise known, is felt by several members of the community who recall seeing him at the street corner. However, for Destiny Allen and her two infant daughters, that grief is immense.
Destiny Allen
“He da wa kind and loving, careful man. I would say, a nice person. Why would I say nice person Because he make sure I take care ah dih pikni good and ker ney da clinic every now and again. Ih always make you feel happy. Ih make you not feel down and fall or dendeh you know.”
The father of two’s life was cut short on Saturday after he was fatally shot in Pitts Alley. He had been walking with several companions when the gunman approached from the direction of New Road and fired. ACP Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander of the Eastern Division, provided further details on the incident.
“On Saturday, the twenty-second day of June 2024 around one forty-five a.m. Police responded to a shooting incident at Pitts Alley in Belize City. Upon their arrival there they found the lifeless body of Dion Bowden with gunshot injuries. Investigation revealed that Dion Bowden was at the alley along with other persons when he was approached by a male person who fired several shots towards him causing his fatal injury. The onboarding was taken to the cage image where he was pronounced dead on arrival.”
Police have since charged thirty-five-year-old Jeffery Pott. According to Romero, the incident stemmed from an altercation between Pott and Bowden.
ACP Hilberto Romero
“An investigation was carried out into this shooting and since we have arrested and charge Jeffery Pott for the crime of murder.”
Britney Gordon
“Was there an altercation between them that led to the shooting?”
Hilberto Romero
“Yes, there was a previous altercation in the alley with the onboarding and another person before the shooting.”
Allen says that Bowden was inebriated the night of the incident and had warned him not to go out in that state. She explained that she had a premonition about her partner’s death but did not know that night would be the last time she would ever see him alive.
Destiny Allen
“That happened the Saturday night. Cause I actually mih deh inside with he. We sit down quite good and contented after that. It’s just, that night deh ih mih drunk. Ao I sseh, inna wa sense a way ah wa leff ah lone mek ih sit down inna wa chair, and relax itself, and noh go back out there. So ih tell me, it say babe, ih say, I wah go and tek a lee walk. I tell him, babe please no go out there. Please, because I done tell you already, neva fih mih gone out there none at all. But I wah go tek mih- no go. Right soh ah tell ah, no go. Because I done got wah feeling that something wah happen to you. And ih still persisted, ih follow and gone out there and gone and get himself killed right there.”
A psychiatric evaluation has been ordered for thirty-three-year-old Aban Grant; the man accused of stabbing sixty-seven-year-old retired U.S. Army soldier Griffith Cadle to death. As we reported, Grant allegedly stabbed Cadle on Saint Joseph Street near its intersection with Nurse Seay Street, while both men were socializing on the night of June thirteenth. Police later discovered the murder weapon inside a drain not too far from where the incident occurred. And, based on information received, they found the suspect, Aban Grant, hiding inside a building on Baymen Avenue. Authorities also found the clothing he was wearing at the time of the incident. Today, he was arraigned on one count of manslaughter. But it was not until his charge was read that the magistrate found out that Grant’s mental state was a topic of discussion. Grant’s sister told the court that he was never known to be a mental patient until after he went to prison where she claims he was diagnosed with a mental disorder. His cousin, who was also present in court, has been taken twice before to see a doctor. However, the sitting magistrate noted that there were no official documents to say what is the mental state of Grant. So, a psychiatric evaluation was ordered. The magistrate explained that for the court to get an evaluation on Grant, he must be remanded to the Belize Central Prison for a psychosis analysis from a doctor. The evaluation usually takes about six to eight weeks. Grant was unrepresented in court.
A police station was shot up in Roaring Creek Village on Sunday morning. Around twelve thirty a.m. three police officers were forced to take cover after a spray of bullets was fired at the station. Up to eighteen shells were recovered from the scene, however, no officers were seriously injured. The suspect made off before he could be captured. A.C.P. Hilberto Romero told us that police are seeking several suspects and are investigating a possible motive.
“On Sunday, the twenty-third of June, 2024, around twelve thirty a report was received whereby a male person, arrived at the street in front of the Roaring Creek police station and fired several shots towards the station. There are several holes in the building as well as the damaged glass window. investigation revealed three officers were at the station at the time. They heard the loud bangs and they took cover. Thereafter, when they came out, the suspect had already fled from the area. The scene was processed where several expended shells were from. We are seeking several suspects in regard to this shooting. We have not established a clear motive. The matter is on investigation. There were three officers there, so I cannot say if any specific officer was targeted. The person came from the street and fire the shots towards the station.”
The incident in Roaring Creek is likely the first time that a police station has come under attack. While three men have been taken into custody, investigators are yet to bring charges against any of them. On Sunday, an officer who was outside of the precinct came under fire when someone started shooting in his direction. The exterior walls of the concrete building are dotted with pockmarks. Fortunately, no one was injured during the shooting. Earlier today, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams further discussed what happened.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“The incident at the Roaring Creek Police Station, from what I was made to understand, is that a police officer was sitting outside of the station, in the compound and heard gunshots coming in his direction. He ran and went into the police station to seek shelter and the police station was shot up. Police recovered a number of expended shells from the scene and three persons have been detained, but we don’t have anything concrete on those three persons who are detained. We are still doing some interviews with the police officer in question because we want to make sure that it’s not something that is personal to him because that is another possibility we are looking at. And then, we are reviewing surveillance footage in the area to see if anything would have been picked up by those cameras in the area. So, there is a lot that we are doing in terms of investigation to try and get to the bottom of that because we have to find that person who did that.
Isani Cayetano
“It’s rare that I’ve heard of a police station coming under gunfire. Don’t you find that disturbing, at the very least?”
Chester Williams
“It is extremely disturbing. How could I not. Police officers are out there working their butts off and here comes what you may want to call the person and shoot up at the police station. We must condemn it, as a society, in the strongest terms. And as a police department we will do what we can to find out who is the person responsible and he must be brought to justice.”
In another act of gun violence this weekend, two men were shot in Belize City during the early hours of Sunday morning. They are fifty-three-year-old Jeffrey Smith and fifty-two-year-old Earl Parks, who were riding their bicycles with a third companion on Hydes Lane when several shots were fired in their direction. Smith and Parks sustained injuries and were rushed to the K.H.M.H. Here is A.C.P. Hilberto Romero with more details.
“On Sunday, twenty-third of June, 2024 around one fifty a.m., police responded to issue the incident at Hydes Lane in Belize City. Upon the arrival, they found two persons with gunshot injuries. They were identified as Earl Parks and Jeffrey Smith. Information is that they were in the area at the time when they were approached by a male person who fired several shots towards the direction. They were taken to the K.H.M.H. for treatment and are now in a stable condition. We are seeking several suspects in regard to this shooting.”
Reporter
“Is this shooting gang related?”
ACP Hilberto Romero
“Yes, it is gang elements that we suspect carried it out. So we are following up on several leads.”
Reporter
“There’s no indication if these two were the person that these gang members wanted?”
ACP Hilberto Romero
“Well, they were the only ones in the area at the time when they were targeted.”
On Friday, a store was robbed at gunpoint by three men in Mahogany Heights. Police carried out an investigation and have since arrested and charged Shaun Crawford and Jahstar Gonguez. Further investigation led police to the residence of Gonguez and his common-law wife, Shondra Gonzalez. There, they found an unlicensed nine-millimeter and twenty-eight rounds of ammunition. Both Gonguez and Gonzalez were charged with illegal possession. The charges come a month after Gonguez walked away from a murder charge.
“On Friday, the twenty-first day of June 2024, around two p.m., police responded to a robbery report at a store at Mahogany Heights. Upon arrival, a complainant reported that she was at her store when three persons armed with firearms entered the building and robbed them of cash and other items. Police responded and thereafter detained several persons. An investigation was carried out. And since then, Shaun Crawford and Jahstar Gonguez have since been arrested and charged with the crime of robbery. Further investigation was carried out, which led police to a house in Seine Bight Village, where a nine-millimeter pistol was recovered in regards to this robbery report. An additional person is being charged for possession of a licensed firearm and possession of a license ammunition. That is Shondra Gonzalez.”
Public transportation is one that has been around in the Old Capital for at least four decades. It was private owners who began to offer routes in the Pen Road and Lake-I areas, then came the King’s Park Port Loyola, Call Centre and other runs later. Today, one of the ten city bus operators came out swinging at the Belize City Council over concerns about its pending e-buses project. Phillip Jones claims that the Belize City Council wants to control the city bus industry by introducing a proposal that will kick them out of business. But the City Council says nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the council says all they want to do is give city residents an option to ride in air-conditioned comfort or not, for a dollar more. News Five’s Marion Ali has the story in this report.
Arthur Saldivar
Arthur Saldivar, Attorney for City Shuttles Ltd.
“It’s a ball-faced attempt to do, by means of economic disadvantage, strongarm from small operators and large that which they have invested in their life’s blood and experience in for, in the case of city of did more than 35 years.”
Marion Ali, Reporting
The e-buses that we’ve been hearing so much about in Belize City are much anticipated, but one transportation provider says he has many questions about that e-bus project. Attorney Arthur Saldivar called a press conference today to say that his client, Phillip Jones, believes that the Belize City Council has ulterior motives with the introduction of the e-buses pilot project.
Arthur Saldivar
“The main issue is that the regulator entering into the field and competing against those who have been developing the industry would have the unfair advantage of picking and cherry-picking routes, which means then you’re basically undermining the profitability of those entities that were providing the service from time immemorial.”
The Belize City Council says nothing could be further from the truth. This afternoon, Mayor Bernard Wagner and E-bus Coordinator, Neil Hall, called their own briefing to set the record straight. They said that the Council will charge three dollars for the e-bus runs, which is a dollar more than what bus operators currently charge.
Bernard Wagner
Bernard Wagner, Mayor, Belize City
“We are managing it, not for profit, but we have to be able to not under-price the current bus operators, we don’t want to undersell them. If I could only go and say since I get this boss free, I wouldn’t say, I could say $1 for new company bus $1. What will that do? That would be driving them out of .”
Neil Hall
Neil Hall, E-bus Coordinator, Belize City Council
“First and foremost, again, they started off their press briefing with us saying that for them to be a part of this, they will need to surrender 51 percent of their businesses. Nothing is further from the truth. At no time has anyone ever even hinted, stated, I don’t know what the word would be, that they would need to forego 51 percent of their businesses to be a part of this because they are a part of it already. I really don’t understand where their lawyer came up with, they have not been given an opportunity to speak, to be heard, or even consulted. Our route is different than any existing route that is, currently available.”
Hall explained that five bus operators were in a meeting with them just a week ago and that no one indicated that they had an issue. He said that the purpose of the pilot project is to see how well the e-buses work in Belize. After a year, the data collected on their performance would be available for the bus operators to seek loans to upgrade their fleet and run their routes. During the City Shuttle’s press conference, Saldivar also spoke of the deficiencies in the current system and the lack of proper bus stops. This is another concern that the City Council said it will address as it moves to upgrade the service. No other bus operators were present to lend support to City Shuttle Limited. Marion Ali for News Five.
Over the weekend, Mabil Ha Village, a Maya community in Toledo District, broke ground for a new water supply system. The project has been long in the making. Residents have had to rely on water sources that are not the safest, including creeks and natural springs. But all that is about to change thanks to a partnership between the Caribbean Development Bank, the Ministry of Rural Transformation and The Belize Social Investment Fund. News Five’s Paul Lopez reports.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Having no access to potable water may be an unimaginable thought to many Belizeans. But for the residents of Mabil Ha Village, this kind of access has been one of their longstanding desires. Well, the village is finally getting a water supply system. A groundbreaking ceremony was held over the weekend in the community. Jose Salam, the Chairman of the village says he has been waiting all his life.
Jose Salam
Jose Salam, Chairman, Mabil Ha Village
“Water is an essential source of life, and it has been thirty-eight years that I have been living in this community and our life desire was to have potable drinking water implemented in our community. I know that this will have a significant positive impact on the livelihood of our villagers. This is a number one step forward in the development of our community. Even though we have other important needs to the development of our community, we chose water because it is second to oxygen we breathe, and these are the main priorities of living.”
The project comes by way of a partnership between The Belize Social Investment Fund, the Caribbean Development Bank and the Ministry of Rural Transformation. Entire families attended the ceremony, some sat under the tent provided while others watched on from under the shade of surrounding trees. Oscar Requena, the Minister of Rural Transformation was present.
Oscar Requena
Oscar Requena, Minister of Rural Transformation
“I want to say to you water is very important, and we have something over there that speaks about goal six. Goal six speaks about ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all and that is important, because just like how the people in Cayo, Corozal, Belize City want clean safe, potable water, the people of Mabil Ha and everywhere in this country deserves safe, clean, potable water and Mr. chairman as you said, we have worked very diligently, we have worked hard with our prime minister, John Briceno and this government under Plan Belize to ensure no one is left behind. And me Oscar Requena I will always fight for the rural people I will always fight for the poor people like you who live in the villages, because I grew up in a village. I grew up without water. I used to go get water in a creek so I understand the poor people and what they feel.”
Residents of Mabil Ha have relied on creeks, natural springs and hand pumps to meet their water needs. Not only are these methods time-consuming, but they also pose significant health risks. That will soon be a thing of the past. Carlos Tun, the Executive Director at Belize Social Investment Fund, says every resident will have access to clean water when the project is completed.
Carlos Tun
Carlos Tun, Executive Director, Social Investment Fund
“The sub project will provide for the construction of a supply well and a reinforced concrete pump house to provide ground water. This pumping station equipped with two five thousand gallons storage tanks will be powered by solar systems ensuring sustainability and efficiency. Additionally, a standby generator will be available to supply supplementary power when necessary. The installation of over seventeen thousand feet or four inch and two inch pipes will form the back bone of this system along with fifty-four service connections to provide water to the school, residents and churches. This infrastructure will transform the way water is supplied in Mabil Ha, ensuring that every corner of the village is adequately served.”
Jose Salam
“Various administrations have passed but they were not able to react to our cry. Therefore, I take this opportunity to thank the honorable Briceno and his administration for acknowledging and taking into consideration the harsh realities and challenges we face in this rural community of the Toledo West.”
