Police have arrested two men in connection with the shooting death of yet another man in Belize City. Shortly after 7 last night Mitchum Heredia had just made his way to his home on T Street when he was shot and killed inside his vehicle. Police now believe the motive for the killing to be retaliation for the shooting of Anniver (Aniver) Palacio that occurred on Sunday night. Alfonso Noble reports.
Alfonso NobleReporting,
The blood stained interior of this gray (Nissan) Maxima which belonged to 29-year-old Mitchum Heredia marks the spot where he died last night. Shortly after 7 Heredia drove his vehicle into his yard where he also has a mechanic shop. Within seconds two men who were waiting outside the yard ran in. One of them held up Heredia with a gun inside the car. The second gunman set chase and shot at Heredia's friend who was in the yard at the time. These bullet holes suggest that the intended target was in fact missed. There is this one on the window frame, and two here on the wall inside the house.
As the gunman randomly shot at the fleeing man at least one bullet that entered the home hit a person. 34-year-old teacher Alida Leonardo was inside the home seated in her sofa watching television. When the shooting began she and other family members including a number of children tried to dash for cover but she was not fast enough. One of the bullets hit her to the left leg. Another young man 17 year old Kyron Leonardo who was also in the house got a cut under the chin as he fell on some broken glass left in the wake of the spray of bullets. His blood remained in the home's floor today.
Outside the story was different, the gunman had by this time returned to where Heredia was being held and without saying much the assailant simply opened fire
on Heredia, shooting him at least 6 times. Officer Commanding CIB Chester Williams says the motivation for the killing was retaliation to the shooting of Aniver Palacio that happened on Sunday night.
ASP Chester Williams,
"Our investigation is also saying that it is a retaliation because of the Aniver Palacio shooting. I must say however that we are taking every step we can in order to prevent any further retaliations by these groups. Mr. Jeffries and myself have been meeting with other senior officers within the division to see if we can come up with some strategy to either meet these people and try to see how best can diffuse whatever problems they have among themselves to avoid any further retaliation which may cause injuries or life of other innocent people.
We are not going to say there will be no further retaliations. Our job as police officers is to try and prevent it and we are trying to look at it from a proactive perspective rather than reactive. It is good that when the crime occurs, we act on it quickly and with the community's assistance we quickly make an arrest but if we don't have to go that stage, it is always best that we save lives rather than detect the loss of a life."
One man who is wishful that that were the case last night is William Moss, Heredia's stepfather who says he is still bewildered at the shooting.
William Moss, Stepfather of Deceased
"I don't realty know what happened. I know they said they shot the man. I don't know what went on, I was busy working. Basically he got shot before and he got shot again and this time it was fatal. I am a family member and he didn't do me anything wrong out of the way like that. Who knows, I can't be following them around so I don't know. He didn't do anyone anything, he was just trying to make a living. The man had a daughter and everything else, the daughter is six years old, and I don't know him as any ragamuffin, any vigilante, to be around trying to hurt anyone.
Like everyone else I don't see the sense. I don't know what this pertains to. I just lost, I am speechless as I said. I have no kind of clue, nothing. I am not those type of people so I am lost in that situation like that. I don't know what to say, I really don't. I would just wish that this stop because its only poor people killing poor people for what reason I don't even know."
And if his plea is not taken seriously and if the police is unable to stem the retaliatory gun violence a scene like this, where ordinary citizens are forced to have to use bullet proof vests to protect their lives.
Police have since arrested and charged brothers 19-year-old Emory Felix
and 21-year-old Maurice Felix. They have been charged with murder, 2 counts of grievous harm and use of deadly means of harm.
It is of note that Maurice has been charged in at least one other murder that of Michael Skeet but the charges were withdrawn. Williams however tells us that charges will be brought against him once again. Maurice has also been charged in two attempted murders those are for trying to kill Austin Stevens, a case which did not proceed because the victim wanted no further action and David Wade which was withdrawn.
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