2024-06-26 - Channel 5 Belize

ComPol’s House Comes Under Gunfire While Away on Police Business

Someone assaulted the home of Commissioner of Police Chester Williams on Tuesday night in what appears to be a copycat crime. Sometime after nine p.m., an individual rode up to the ComPol’s residence in Belmopan, stood on the roadside and opened fire on the concrete two-storey building, before riding off on a motorcycle. Inside the residence at the time of the shooting was Williams’ twenty-two-year-old son. Following a series of S.O.E. operations in Belize City yesterday, the commissioner boarded a flight to the United States and was en route to New York City when he received a disturbing text message from his son. The top cop was informed that his home was being fired upon, just a few days after the police station in nearby Roaring Creek was sprayed with a shower of bullets. Here’s News Five’s Isani Cayetano with our first story.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“If they think that I am going to be perturbed or intimidated by their action then they have the wrong man. So they can come and shoot a million times, that will not distract me from doing what I need to do. But what I can say to them is that they will be pursued no matter where they go. They will be caught and they will be dealt with.”

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

Commissioner of Police Chester Williams was on the ground on Tuesday morning, where a state of emergency came into effect in the Lake Independence area, as well as other parts of Belize City. During our interview with him, we learned that he was traveling to the United States later that day on official business as Belize’s chief law enforcement officer. Little did he know that, like the incident which happened in Roaring Creek a few days earlier, his residence would also come under gunfire.

Chester Williams

“Well the person went by on motorcycle and he passed in front of the house and he stopped a distance away and fired the shots from there. So again, it goes to show that he’s a coward. I am sure that whoever, that this individual knew I was not at home because they might have heard on the news that I was leaving the country yesterday, following the operations for the SOE and so they took the opportunity, knowing that I was not at home, to have done this. Just about an hour before landing in New York, I got a call from my son who was at home, but the data that you purchase on the plane does not allow you for voice calls., you can only text. So I could not have answered his call. So I messaged him and said to him, “I am in flight. Kindly text.”

The message he received from his son, who was home alone at the time, required immediate action.

Chester Williams

“He text me quickly and said that shots were being fired at the house. I right away forwarded the message to the Belmopan Police Station and asked them to have the police respond immediately and I directed my son not to come out, to stay inside the house secured until the police would arrive there. I must say that the police got there very quickly and they dealt with the situation. They examined the house and reviewed the surveillance camera system that I have at home and they were able to obtain some very useful information.”

Surveillance footage from the scene of the shooting led to the subsequent arrest of this individual, twenty-one-year-old Threvane Thomas, a resident of Camalote Village. Not only was he found with a weapon, steps have also been taken to proceed with a ballistics analysis.

Chester Williams

“They were able to apprehend a suspect, along with the firearm which we believe to have been used in the incident. The firearm is a forty-five caliber pistol that has been packaged and been sent to the National Forensic Science Services ballistics section for examination to be compared with the shells that were found at the scene. So I must say that the police did act very swiftly in making sure that they were able to investigate and find who is responsible.”

ComPol Williams has taken grave offense to the assault on the Roaring Creek Police Station, describing the precinct as a location that is like. an officer’s residence. Less than thirteen hours later, his home would come under attack. Why?

Chester Williams

“His mother happened to be a cook at the training academy. So, she and I have never had any encounter per se. I don’t even know who she is. But that’s as far as I know about him. I know that he has been in trouble with the law before, charged with different offenses and we are looking at him very closely to see who are his close associates. We have a person of interest that we are looking at likewise. It is something that I take very seriously and we will act decisively in making sure that the perpetrators of this and other incidents are brought to justice.”

The Commissioner of Police has taken measures to ensure the safety of his son while away until the weekend.

Chester Williams

“My son is okay. He is like his father, very brave and very courageous young man, he was raised well and he remains at home. Yes, I have put certain security measures in place to ensure his safety until I return back to Belize this coming weekend.”

Isani Cayetano for News Five.

“I am a creature of law.” – ComPol Chester Williams

In the face of an armed attack on one’s home, panic and alarm would immediately ensue. But in the case of Commissioner Williams, he was getting ready to land in New York City for a conference and was still in flight when he received the message. According to the ComPol, he kept his composure and gave specific instructions to his son, as well as Acting Commissioner of Police Bart Jones. Those directives ensured his son’s safety during the attack, they also led to the quick detention of a suspect. Here’s how ComPol Williams recounted his immediate reaction.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“I contacted the police, I had every confidence that they would respond in time and the police did do that. I spoke my son via text messages and explained to him what to do and I know the type of person he is, he is very compliant and once I tell him to do something, he is going to do it. So I had absolutely no worries that everything was going to be okay, and as soon as I landed in New York, I contacted Mr. Jones who is holding over in my absence and gave him certain directives in terms of what I wanted to get done with the investigation. Those were complied with and we are now where we are in terms of having one person in custody with a weapon recovered. The motorcycle used was also recovered during the operations last night. I must say that I am a creature of law. Whilst the criminals operate without any rules, I have to operate within rules and I have to operate within the scope of the law. So as much as, yes, from my personal feelings, my personal standpoint, I would love to do certain things, I cannot do that if it is not going to be done in accordance with the law. So I remain a law-abiding citizen. I am the chief law enforcement officer of the country and I must abide by the laws, and so whatever needs to be done in terms of dealing with any criminal elements, I will always ensure that it is done in accordance with the law.”

S.O.E. Captures Almost Ninety-four Suspected Gang Members

The state of emergency that came into effect on Tuesday morning saw the rounding up of almost a hundred men, believed to be gang members, from various communities in Belize City, Cotton Tree and Roaring Creek. Earlier today, they were trooped to the Belize Central Prison where they will remain under lockdown for the next thirty days. But, with such a significant number, did the Belize Police Department’s dragnet capture everyone they wanted under the latest S.O.E.?

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“The police continue to be in search of a number of persons who are on the list and have not yet been located. We are doing our best to be able to locate those individuals. The press office will be issuing those wanted posters, hopefully by the end of day today where we will be seeking the public’s assistance in locating them.”

Woman Demands Justice for Boyfriend Detained Under S.O.E.

It’s been about twenty-four hours since the Government of Belize declared a state of emergency and already, there have been several complaints about the police department’s execution of this order. An S.O.E. is enacted during periods of heightened criminal activity that threatens citizen security. The S.O.E. permits police officers to target known gang members through a series of house raids, arrests and detentions. However, Monique Teck, a resident of Antelope Street, says that her boyfriend, Kurtis Lamb, has been picked up twice by officers during the S.O.E., despite him not having previous charges of being a member of a gang. She spoke with us today to explain her frustration with the process.

Voice of: Monique Teck, Partner of Detained

“Several times I go da the ombudsman, go make report, go make complaint against the department, and I get nothing done. Two states a bap, ney ker my gentlemen. When I make a report, nothing. Now Monday they come da my house seh they want he fi P.I. murder. Which P.I. murder? Who do murder? Weh kind of murder he do? Alright, nothing they can’t explain to you as to why they fi ker he ney just say P.I. murder. Gone da the police station, they say he wah spent wa forty-eight. When the forty-eight done, ten thirty, the police come and ney ker ah. I noh get no call, nothing as to why ney ker him da jail. I get call from a policeman weh know me and tell me, gyal, he said ney done ker up your bwai. Ih done deh da dih station. I think it really unfair because ney dih enable ney bwai. You understand me. The one weh dih do the schupidness, he noh dih send up but da dih innocent one.”

Britney Gordon

“So last time when he was taken during the last S.O.E., how long did it take for him to get released and did they ever tell you why he was taken?”

Monique Teck

“Ih mih tek wah month. Up to now, we no as to know why ney mih ker he none at all. Ney mih tell yo, we dih carry up everybody for S.O.E. due to the shooting and the different thing. What happened da Antelope Street? Nothing. The one there, back at Martins, ney dih let go ney. So how could you wah dih do your job and you dih half-step your job? You dih ker people neem dih do nothing. Ih really unfair. It’s frustrating. Really frustrating. I gone upstairs ah Racoon Street, gone mek a report gone mek wa formal report. Ney tell me my house da gang yaad. Which gang? Nobody neva yet get charge for being a member of a gang deh. If you check by bwai sheet, he neem got wa charge sheet. How come ney dih ker you for S.O.E. and you neem have wa gang charge.”

Mother says Son was Detained Despite Spotless Record

Another family member has come forward to demand justice for her loved one who was detained under the state of emergency earlier today. This time, it is Stephanie Reynolds, the mother of nineteen-year-old Tyreek Straughan, a resident of Antelope Street extension, who she claims does not have a single charge on his record. We spoke with Reynolds today, who explained that her son has been the target of harassment from several officers for months now.

Voice of: Stephanie Reynolds, Mother of Detained

“The first SOE they had in March they came five thirty in the morning. They came, they round up everyone. They ask the intel is my son name on the list? The intel respond no, his name is on the list. Not on the list. They still took him to the station. I followed to the station. I went to the station. I asked them why is my son detained? They said pending murder. I said pending murder for who? That back then I think that was when um, the guy Bobo got shot on Antelope Street. I said but my son wasn’t even here for that weekend. He was in Dangriga for a buggy there. I don’t know what the name of the thing is. So they said okay, you only have to spend forty-eight hours. I call ney say your son’s name is not on the list so he won’t go to jail. Okay, understandable. The evening when I took my son to jail, when he fired it up, I never get no call that my son went to jail. I don’t get no call from them, none at all. I get a call from someone who was at jail. About five o’clock the evening someone who was in the in the jail and they called me and they said miss Stephanie, do you know that your son is here at jail? So I said no, so I called back and I asked, You told me that my son was not on the list to go to jail So why is he at the jail? My son have no criminal records if you go and check his records. He have no criminal record. My son is just nineteen years old.” They say we search your son this morning on his way to work. We search him and he was on the blacklist. He say ney call we in the afternoon and tell we I saw you guys searching so could you please go and bring him in for me? But I tell him, but my son don’t have no criminal record. So why the big man want to see my son? My son just come out of jail. My son just come out of jail for SOE so why don’t want to see my son? Only to put it like my son now a criminal. My son is not a criminal. He don’t have no drug charge, no weed charge, no gang charge. No, no kind of charge he don’t have. Why harass he? But these officers are not doing their job because before my son turned eighteen, they keep telling him. We will send you to jail. We will send you to jail. We can’t wait till you’ve reached eighteen from it. We send you to jail.”

Too Many Illegal Guns in the Streets!

The spread of illegal weapons across the country remains a critical issue for the Ministry of Home Affairs. Belize’s porous land borders with Guatemala and Mexico are often used for the unfettered smuggling of guns and ammunition into the country. The recent attack on the Roaring Creek Police Station was pulled off using a forty-caliber firearm. The weapon of choice for the gunman who let loose on the ComPol’s house on Tuesday night was a forty-five-caliber handgun. So what is the department doing to remove these dangerous weapons off the streets?

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“We do know that a number of illegal and prohibited weapons are smuggled into the country via the porous western border area and certainly, yes, that has created to some degree the proliferation of these guns across Belize and particularly the Cayo District and Belize District. So the police have conducted numerous operations and as I reported to you yesterday in my interview that from the operations that we have done in the San Ignacio/Santa Elena area over the past two weeks, we have removed five firearms and several ammunition off the street in the San Ignacio/Santa Elena area. So it goes to show that the police have been very active in making sure that we remove these guns off the streets. But again, you would know that the border area is very porous and as much as we are removing, some are coming in, and we just have to continue to work to see how we can intercept these persons with their weapons whenever they are moving around with them.”

Security Guard Murdered While Working Night Shift

On Tuesday, a state of emergency was declared to control the rise in violent, gang-related crimes. It is the second S.O.E. to be enacted within the past six months. A few hours later, an on-duty security guard was murdered at Sadie Vernon High School. Twenty-eight-year-old Kadeem Babb was working the night shift when his security booth came under attack by gunfire, killing him. We spoke with Commissioner of Police Chester Williams, who said that although the attack was targeted at Babb, it was not the result of gang activity. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with more information.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

There’s been another murder in Belize City and this time it happened on the grounds of Sadie Vernon High School in Saint Martin De Porres. The latest victim of the surge in violent crimes is twenty-eight-year-old Kadeem Babb, who was working the night shift at the school’s security booth. Debroah Martin is the principal of Sadie Vernon High School.

Debroah Martin, Principal, Sadie Vernon High School

“I received a call and some text messages this morning that the boot was locked and the employees of the school were unable to enter. Usually, we have twenty-four hours in security services or watchmen on duty. And when my employees tried to get in the compound this morning as early as seven o’clock, they were not able to come. And so that sent an alarm when they were healing for the watchman on duty, and there was no response. So what happened was that they looked around the boot area and they noted that on one of the window blinds there were a bullet, there was a bullet hole or more than one. And that called, them to action. And so eventually my office assistant jumped the fence and came on the compound. We had to get a hammer to open the door so that they could enter to see what had happened. And they found him in there lying down.”

The murder comes just a few hours after the enactment of Belize’s second state of emergency this year. However, Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams maintains that this crime was not committed in relation to the recent surge in gang activity, but rather, it stemmed from a personal issue.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“From what we have been made to understand is that there may have been some issue. Between the security guard and another individual, which is not gang related, because I already see some comments stating that, oh, we have S.O.E. and this is happening, but the murder is not gang related. And the police have obtained surveillance footage from the school. We’re viewing those footages now and hopefully we’ll be able to identify who the individual is and should be able to make an arrest.”

Martin says that the employee’s death shocked and saddened her. Babb had been working at the school for three years and she didn’t know him to get into serious conflicts with anyone.

Debroah Martin

“He started in 2021 and he’s friendly, outgoing. You will know that he’s on the compound when he’s here. Always helpful. Knows how to put smile on your face. That’s the kind of person. I know he’s outspoken, so he will stand up for anybody, to anybody who comes his way or stand up for anybody that he thinks that somebody is taking advantage of. So I don’t know of any issue with anybody, but I know he’s somebody that is going to stand up for himself and for others. I don’t know of any previous issue with him and anybody that may have resulted in this.”

In reaction to Babb’s death, community members have expressed frustration that the murder occurred relatively close to a police station. ComPol Williams says that despite this, there was no way for the officers stationed there to know that the crime was going to occur.

Chester Williams

“It’s not a stone’s throw away from the police station, as some media hosts have reported. It is still quite a distance from the police station. And yes, as I said before, we do have police officers in the Martin’s area working, but the police officers have to move around. They cannot stay in one given area, and criminals will take advantage of whatever opportunity they may have. And the fact that it was not, it is not something gang motivated. You have an issue with somebody, you go after the person where the person works. I don’t see how it is going to be possible for the police to be able to deter that from happening, unless the police would have had prior knowledge that there was some issue between him and this individual and this person would have been going after him to do him something.”

Williams further countered speculation that the murder was in connection to a shooting that occurred on Sunday that led to the injury of Joshua Gillett and the death of Stanley Moore.

Chester Williams

“I wouldn’t say it’s the same location. It may be the same street, but quite a distance away. The Sadie Vernon High School is a little way up more into that street.”

Reporter

“No chance that he was a witness or I’m asking, might he have been a witness?”

Chester Williams

“No.”

Williams said that although there has been an increase in violent crimes, the police have been working diligently towards making an arrest and ensuring that the perpetrators are brought to justice.

Chester Williams

“I must say that the past the last three murders we have had we have made arresting all three of them. And it goes to show again that the police is doing as best as we can to be able to investigate these murders and find the persons responsible and make sure they face the court system. I have no doubt that with this one, the same is going to be done.”

Britney Gordon for News Five.

Two Men Sentenced for 2019 Victor L. Bryant Burglary

Two men have been sentenced to prison for the 2019 burglary and gun heist at Victor L. Bryant on Independence Boulevard. Randy Chambers has been handed a sentence of eight years and six months for burglary, and six years and six months for kept firearm without a gun license. His partner in crime, Selvin Linares got seven years and seven months for burglary and five years and three months for kept firearm without a gun license. Both sentences are to run concurrently so they will serve the larger prison term of eight and seven years, respectively. Late Tuesday evening, after the court heard a mitigation plea on both men’s behalf, the Senior Magistrate handed down the sentence. On Thursday, June thirteenth, Chambers was found guilty of eight counts of firearm offenses and guilty of burglarizing Victor L. Bryant. On Thursday, July twenty-seventh, 2023, Linares pleaded guilty to the burglary, but not guilty to the firearm offenses. Nonetheless, he was found guilty of five counts of kept firearm without a gun license. During the mitigation plea hearing, Chambers asked the court to consider the two programs he had completed whilst at the prison, while Linares asked for mercy and for the court to consider the fact that he too had completed the Freedom for Journey course.

Taking Steps Towards Ending Child Labor in Belize

Belize is Taking steps towards eradicating child labor in the country. This week, the Ministry of Labor and Local Government welcomed representatives from the Brazilian Ministry of Labor and Employment, Ministry of Social Development, and the Brazilian Cooperation Agency to participate in a knowledge-exchange mission. During this collaboration, key stakeholders will partake in technical workshops and advocacy meetings that target the issue of child labor within Belize. Topics such as how to refine strategic planning to bolster the effectiveness of labor inspections and incorporate advanced digital solutions for them will be discussed during the event which commenced on Monday and will end on Friday. The mission was facilitated by the International Labor Organization, I.L.O., Brazil, and the Regional Initiative Technical Secretariat. This will support Belize in developing robust, evidence-based programs and improving the enforcement of child labor laws.

Darlin Gaitan Resigns as Ports Commissioner

After fifteen months of serving in the capacity of Ports Commissioner at the Belize Port Authority, Darlin Gaitan resigned from the post on Tuesday morning. Gaitan has been employed at the Belize Port Authority for the past fifteen years where she rose through the ranks to become Ports Commissioner. Reports are that her departure was abrupt. News Five has been reliably informed that an extraordinary board meeting was called on Tuesday morning where the decision was taken. Her exit comes only one month after the launch of a Women in Maritime Association of the Caribbean’s Belize Chapter that was being led by an employee at B.P.A. Credible information to News Five is that a few weeks before Gaitan’s resignation, the Belize Port Authority pulled its financial and human resources support from the association. Notably, representatives from the B.P.A. were absent from a celebration held today onboard Carnival Dream for Day of Seafarers that was organized by the Women in Maritime Association of the Caribbean. Traditionally, the Belize Port Authority would have representation at this event. Furthermore, our newsroom understands that the son of a prominent board member recently took up a managerial position at the B.P.A. There are, however, questions surrounding his qualifications for that post. So, is the Belize Port Authority sidelining women? And were these incidents what led to Gaitan’s departure? We will continue to follow this story.