On Thursday, we reported the tragic shooting of thirty-year-old Giovanni Ramirez, who had provided information that led to the incarceration of attorney Oscar Selgado. News Five obtained surveillance footage showing two men on a motorcycle driving up beside Ramirez on Amandala Drive around 1:30 PM and opening fire. Today, a mother shared with News Five that she passes that very spot every day with her young son on their way to school. News Five’s Marion Ali has more on this story.
Marion Ali, Reporting
Today, the street where Giovanni Ramirez was killed on Thursday was eerily quiet. Normally, Amandala Drive is bustling with parents picking up their kids from school in the afternoon. We spoke with a mother who told us she walks that same street every day to take her son to school. On Thursday afternoon, she had just passed the spot when she heard the gunshots.
Voice of: Area Resident
Voice of: Area Resident
“Me walking to St. Martin School, to ker my son. I talk to the principal when we hear the gun and the people come out, check outside. When we come back out from school, we can’t pass back deh. The police done close right deh. Nobody could pass right deh. We hear only somebody dead in a red car.”
Marion Ali
“ You missed being in the direct path of the gunshots by what, just a few minutes?”
Voice of: Area Resident
“Mm hmm, yeah. I come over quick, and I lock up.”
Marion Ali
“You pass this street every day around that time?”
Voice of: Area Resident
“Yes. Every day same time – eleven-fifteen, go for my son for lunch. Right now, twelve, bring. Bring him back and one-forty-five come back for him, same time.”
Giovanni Ramirez
Ramirez had reportedly just left Cemetery Road and was on his way to visit family in CET Site when two men on a motorcycle opened fire on him. Today, a relative told us that he was targeted out of jealousy. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams mentioned that the police would be reviewing security camera footage to identify the suspects.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“We do have security footages that we are looking at this time. And if it is that weare unable to identify those persons in the footage, then we’ll release it to the public so that they can help us identify who they are.”
Voice of: Relative
“Sometimes jealousy is a bad thing. When people see you’re trying to uplift yourself and get out of a narrative that people trying to paint you as, jealousy and envy is a bad thing in this city.”
Marion Ali
“You think it somebody who was jealous?”
Voice of: Relative
“It was jealousy.”
Marion Ali
“Of what?”
Voice of: Relative
“Just because you’re coming up. People hate to see you driving; people hate to see you’re living good, doing better things, not negativity – better things in life. And so people try to carry you down with them. It doesn’t matter. As long as you’re doing better than someone, and they’re watching you doing better than them, they perceive you…”
Marion Ali
“That was a lot of bullets the police picked up. You don’t think there was a dispute that resulted in so many bullets being fired?”
Less than two weeks into 2025, Belize has already seen three murders. Over the past two years, the Belize Police Department has worked hard to keep the annual murder count below one hundred. While this is a significant achievement, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams admits it hasn’t been easy, as many murders catch law enforcement off guard. On Thursday, following the shocking midafternoon murder of Giovanni Ramirez in Belize City, Williams spoke with reporters about how the public can help the police department.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“Well if we look at the different, the murders that occurred, the one in turn, I don’t see what police could have done to prevent the one in Hopkins yesterday again. What could the police do? And this one again today. So while yes, we’re at three murders so far this year, it is three murders too much, certainly yes, but again, I don’t think that the public would unreasonably say that it is due to lack of policing efforts. We can’t prevent everything and we do hope that people do exercise some patience, adjust their attitudes, and always try to resolve conflicts by other means other than the use of lethal force. And that’s what we have been pushing through LIU, through our, um, police interventions and through the interventions done by Brother Nuri.”
Earlier this week, Jamaican tourist Christopher McIntyre and his friend Sheila Williams claimed that McIntyre was assaulted by police after immigration officials denied him entry into Belize. On Thursday, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams dismissed the allegations, saying McIntyre was faking it. However, today McIntyre’s attorney, Norman Rodriguez, returned to our office, insisting that his client was indeed assaulted and will take the case to court. News Five’s Marion Ali has the story.
Marion Ali, Reporting
On December thirtieth, Jamaican traveler Christopher McIntyre was denied entry into Belize because he couldn’t provide an address for his stay. His friend, Sheila Williams, an American who invited him, explained that she mistakenly put the address in her name. McIntyre claimed he was detained for several days and assaulted by the police during that time. He shared his side of the story with us.
Christopher McIntyre
Christopher McIntyre, Jamaican Tourist (File: January 8, 2025)
“When they had me detained, they said they were gonna have me sent back on the third of January. So on the third of January, they made the flight miss me. So when they had the flight miss me, I said to them I wanted to go home and such forth and instead of them make me feel better, they pulled me on the ground, the immigration made the police pull me on the ground, hit me on my face right here and then hit me in my ribs. And they tell me like, shut up, and relax, shut up, like I shouldn’t speak. And, you know, I didn’t have any rights.”
But on Thursday, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams denied McIntyre’s claims, accusing him of being disruptive instead. Here are the arguments for and against the assault case from Williams and McIntyre’s attorney, Norman Rodriguez.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“I think he’s more like from Hollywood because he really put off a show. Following the interview I saw that he did along with his attorney I tasked an investigation into the matter and that was done during which they were able to retrieve the video footages from the airport. They also interviewed and recorded statements from a number of persons who were around. And I can tell you, I personally saw the video footages that were retrieved and it clearly shows him, the video don’t have any audio, but it shows him acting boisterous. You can the gesticulations that he was doing clearly indicating that he was being boisterous. The police, as far as we’re concerned, exercised extreme care, extreme caution, and applied our policy in terms of de-escalation in dealing with the matter.”
Norman Rodriguez
Norman Rodriguez, Attorney for Christopher McIntyre
“After saying nobody touched him, he said, he was picked up to some extent. I think he did mention drag before. Now, look at the video, and I’m saying this to the public too. Look at the video. He was held by his shirt in this way and dragged into the room. His allegations are that he was dragged into the room. He was slapped and punched while he was in there. The commissioner’s further words is that nobody could confirm that. That him being beaten. Did the commissioner say flatly, we deny that and nobody confirmed. He said nobody could confirm. Okay, fine, but nobody denied it either. Even in his alleged boisterous behavior, he attempted to aggress no one. He was just behaving like a child out of control, maybe, if you want to say that, but he did not attempt to aggress anyone.”
Rodriguez points out that medical evidence supports McIntyre’s claim of being assaulted by the authorities.
Norman Rodriguez
“I can confirm that he was taken to see the doctor at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital and he was only taken there because while his allegations are that while he was at the hotel after being beaten, another officer came and threatened to hit him again. That is when – from a police officer. His allegations are that when a senior officer from the Ladyville Police Station went there and said, but you see the man there in a pain. Carry the man to the hospital tomorrow, that is the reason why he’s saying that he was taken to see a doctor.”
Earlier this week, Prime Minister John Briceño also weighed in on the matter.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“We welcome any Jamaican coming to Belize. I mean, they are our brothers, they are our sisters, we all belong to Curriculum, and we have the free movement of people. And we’ve had hundreds that have come as tourists to spend time in our beautiful country and to enjoy the people and the culture and the food. But there have been many instances when, um, we’ve had people in this issue, Jamaicans, um, that would come to Belize and say they come on holiday and then after that, then they disappear. They go across the border on the way to the United States. We have, uh, a responsibility to ensure that that is kept to a minimum. And, and it’s unfortunate that, um, that, um, based on what was presented to, to the, to the department or to the officers, they felt that, um, um, that he would not meet the criteria of having enough funds and to have the, um, or the, the hotel or where is it that he was going to stay. Yeah. Thank you. Based on that, that decision was made.”
Rodriguez says his client has since left Belize, but that the matter remains before the courts.
Norman Rodriguez
“The Commissioner of Police cannot say this did not happen. I cannot say it happened. The court will decide ultimately when the evidence is brought before the court.”
Marion Ali
“Okay, so even though he’s not here, you’re still representing him?”
Norman Rodriguez
“Yes, I still represent him. And once the instructions remain that we will proceed, I will pursue it because that is my duty as an attorney.”
In the small southern community of Cattle Landing, Toledo District, eighty-eight residents have come together to sign a petition asking Village Council Chairman Waluco Maheia to relocate Digi’s cell tower. Back in December 2024, they wrote a letter to Maheia and sent copies to the Prime Minister, the area representatives for Toledo East and West, the head of Project Management at Digi, and BTL’s Legal and Regulatory Affairs Department. The residents are upset because they feel they were kept in the dark about the tower being set up at the community center. They have several reasons for their petition, starting with the claim that there was no proper consultation or vote among the villagers, especially those living closest to the tower who are most affected.
Waluco Maheia
Waluco Maheia, Chairman, Cattle Landing Village
“BTL, DIGI, reached out to Cattle Landing Village Council and requested to erect a tower, rent a space or a parcel of land to erect a tower within the community to provide better service to Cattle Landing residents, that immediate community and also a broader radius. We reached out to the villagers, hosting a meeting where the erection of the BTL tower was one of the topics. We had a turnout, it was a small turnout from the community. We had about maybe eight or ten participants at that meeting, we still addressed the topic as that is typically the average of our meetings in the past, and we proceeded with the project. It was in October, I believe, [that] the project began and majority of the villagers requested for better service and would benefit from having a cell tower in the village. I must mention, as well, that the village council and the village would also benefit because Digi would be providing rent for the space, a total of five hundred dollars a month, that would be used for maintenance of the village, the immediate community center and the football field.”
Residents are also worried about potential health risks from the tower’s radiation, concerns supported by respected environmental research from the US and other countries, including the National Library of Medicine and the National Institute of Health.
Waluco Maheia
Waluco Maheia, Chairman, Cattle Landing Village
“We found out that a few villagers were not in consent or not in support of the current location for the cell tower and a lot of the concerns are around the health hazard of the cell towers. A lot of the concerns are, yes, the health impacts that could affect villagers. So that is the main concern around where the current location of the tower is situated. We had agreed to have a follow-up consultation with representation from Digi within this month of January. One of the villagers, the individual, I believe, who is progressing with the petition, we encourage that he exercises his right to go out and find out who is in support or not in support of the cell tower. We did encourage him to go and do the petition and the petition has been submitted and it is an eye opener for us. It is something that the village council will be following up on and we still plan on having that consultation with BTL and Digi with the community. And more so, to educate about how a cell tower works, what can be the impacts. As far as self-education that I’ve done, cell towers, like your cell phone and internet modem within your home fall under what we call non-ionizing radiation, meaning that it only produces heat, but not enough energy to damage human cells. So it is in the realm of the non-ionizing radiation, unlike ionizing radiation which produces more of like the gamma rays and heavier radiation.”
People in Cattle Landing have heard from their neighbors in San Jose and Emeri Grove that Digi plans to install cell towers in their communities too, but those towers will be placed more than half a mile away from the nearest homes. This distance is well beyond the recommended safe distance of 500 meters to avoid potential harmful radiation effects.
A shelf attendant from an Indian shop in downtown Belize City found himself in court today on an unusual charge. Thirty-four-year-old Harrison Sutherland, famously known as “Dr. Sutherland” a Belama resident, was charged for carrying a Crystal five-gallon water bottle on his bicycle in a way that allegedly prevented him from having full control of the bike. Sutherland, who appeared in court without a lawyer, shared his ordeal with us while waiting to be called in. He pleaded not guilty to the charge and wanted to explain what happened, but the magistrate told him he didn’t need to present his defense until the trial date. Sutherland was granted self-bail of one hundred dollars and released. This misdemeanor charge is quite rare, especially for something as simple as carrying a water bottle on a bicycle. Sutherland told us he didn’t even know such a law existed. He felt traumatized after spending almost an entire day in police custody, from 11:30 a.m. when he was stopped on Queen Street, until 11:30 p.m. when he was finally released on bail. He said he felt violated, especially since he was just helping an elderly woman by carrying the water bottle for her. Sutherland is due back in court on March sixth, 2025.
Today, the San Pedro community mourns the loss of a beloved figure and restaurateur, Marcela Elvia Staines, who passed away at the age of ninety-three. The original owner of the iconic Elvi’s Kitchen, Elvia will be laid to rest on Saturday after a funeral service at the San Pedro Roman Catholic Church. Her daughter, Jennie Staines, shared with News Five that Elvia’s journey began with a heavy responsibility. After her mother passed away at a young age, Elvia had to take care of her siblings. This experience laid the foundation for what would become the world-famous Elvi’s Kitchen. For decades, Elvia Staines was an inspiration to many on the island. Jennie fondly shared some of her cherished memories of her late mother with us.
On the Phone: Jennie Staines, Daughter of Elvia Staines
“From then she got the passion of cooking and after she married my dad she used to work for the Blakes and she used to cook for them and also when my brothers were growing up, they used to sell tamales, bread like they would take orders and take bread to the San Pedrano’s homes and from then, the idea came about, being such a lover of the culinary arts from a young age. She started what was called Burger Isle in 1976. And from then, she and dad used to do burgers first. And what was left over of the patties, because we didn’t have refrigeration, the best refrigeration then. They used to make the amount of bread that was left and patties and we, dad used to take it at the front. I used to go with him certain nights and weekends until the burgers were done. Then we came back right after, you know, they had dance and stuff by big daddies. And, I was just a very young child and from then Elvis started growing. So that’s how they started that. Was a fisherman and then started with fish and chips with and that’s the way it grew and it became Elvis Kitchen after that. From 19 years old, I started cooking and working for her as any other cook but like her, I had the same passion and as a young child, I saw her cooking, I saw her making cakes for Christmas. And every Christmas she used to bake for all the wealthy people in San Pedro, make Christmas cakes. And I just watched her cook, you know, Blanco, Tamales. She just evolved from there. From Carrie’s wife we have now, which is Elvis kitchen.”
Staines shared that her mom’s passing has left a huge void, not just for their family at the restaurant, but for everyone who turned to her for recipes and cooking tips. She mentioned that her mom played a significant role in the lives of many cooks on the island. Now, she is determined to carry on the business in honor of her mother’s memory.
On the Phone: Jennie Staines, Daughter of Elvia Staines
“ People used to make lines to eat at Elvi’s. I remember that, and she always had this passion in cooking and inspired all the cooks that were with her, the waiters. Like, one of them that – most of the people that worked with her have owned restaurants, not only here in L.A. In San Pedro, but abroad, like, we have a girl named Bonnie Pascacio, she was our waitress for lunch, and she lives in California, if I’m not mistaken, but she’s cooking there. That’s one of the persons she inspired. Rene Reyes, he was a waiter here, too. He has Caramba. She just had the gift and, and she was such a giver and she teach people how to do many things and that’s the way she did and she helped with all organizations also with charity and she was a charitable lady and her skills she just extended to all the people that worked around us. Like me, I felt like a part of me left me because like when I was working, she would always have to approve on the dishes, helped me out to better them and now I won’t have her, but I feel that the love that she gave me through the years, and she helped me raise my two kids also, and she means the world to me. And I feel that she will always be with me while I am cooking, while I’m doing, preparing everything for Elvis because I intend to keep her name and have it very high.”
In 2024, Belize’s tourism industry hit a major milestone, welcoming an impressive five hundred and sixty-two thousand, four hundred and five overnight visitors. This figure not only matches the pre-pandemic record set in 2019 but surpasses it by a remarkable eleven point eight percent. After the severe impact of COVID-19 in 2020, the industry has been steadily recovering thanks to strategic planning and training from dedicated stakeholders. We caught up with the Tourism Director at the Belize Tourism Board to get the inside scoop on this incredible achievement.
Evan Tillett
Evan Tillett, Tourism Director, B.T.B.
“The benchmark here for overnight arrivals is, or was 2019. In that year, the we got about five hundred and three thousand overnight visitors to our shores. In 2024 we actually crested that and went beyond. We were looking to pass 2019 numbers. But the results and the hard work and dedication of both the private sector and the public sector really is what made us successful. And we grew the numbers over 2019 by eleven point eight percent. This year we saw a total of fiuve hundred and sixty-two thousand people coming to our shores as overnight tourists. So that’s a significant growth. And when you compare to year over year 2023 we are looking at twenty-one point eight percent. So that is even more significant. The overnight tourism is the lifeblood of tourism. We have different facets or different sectors. We have cruise tourism. We have overnight tourism. We have tour operator to operation, etcetera. But for us, the lifeblood off the industry and the area that generates the most revenue is overnight. And so that is the critical part of the industry that we pay keen attention to and are very focused And how we can continue to grow that sector.”
Earlier this week, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams was asked about his plans after his tenure as Belize’s longest-serving Commissioner of Police comes to an end. In the interview, he mentioned that despite holding a law degree, he prefers to continue working in public service. He has since clarified that he has no plans to retire or step down from his position anytime soon. Here’s more on that.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“Yesterday I clearly outlined the plan for 2025 and I was asked the question if I will be leaving on it. Soon, I said, No, I’m not going anywhere right now. That’s what I made clear yesterday So I was shocked to see that yourself and Belize news has on your pages today that a commissioner is planning to exit. I gave no such information. No, I remain a police officer. And you asked me earlier if I’m asking for extension. I don’t need to ask for extension. I am a tenured public officer. Retire at age fifty-five. I’m far from fifty-five years old. So there’s not a matter of asking for no extension So I continue to serve as commissioner of police until the minister or the prime minister would see otherwise Or decide otherwise.”
