Yesterday the broad daylight murder of Kevin Parks shocked the community. Parks had returned to Belize just days ago after being deported from the United States for illegal entry. Yesterday the sensation of his slaying in the streets took up the headlines, but tonight we look into the execution to find a family upon which years of sustained violent attacks have taken a terrible toll.
Carmen Ifield, Grandmother of Deceased
"I saw my grandson right there. They killed him in front of me."
Her grandson is this man, Kevin parks. Yesterday at 2 pm he was sitting here behind his grandmother Carmen Ifield's house on Euphrates Avenue. Today the 72-year-old Ifield took us to the area. She showed us that Kevin went into the house to do some mopping, and that's when a pair of gunmen came from this open lot, snuck through this narrow area, and came up behind the house looking for him. The backdoor was opened, and they charged in, and ran right through the house.
Carmen Ifield,
"I have about four or five children who are minding here for people and the man they ran through from the back of my house, through the front. Supposed they had hurt any of these kids? It is a good thing I had them in my bed."
The children were sparked but Kevin Parks was not. He ran out of the house, towards Euphrates Avenue. His uncle Charles Moss saw it unfold from here, the family's cool spot under a mango tree.
Charles Moss,
"It happened so fast my brother, it is amazing."
He is in the hospital today, lucky to be alive after also being shot in the attack.
Charles Moss,
"I saw two gunman came out of our house and they had rags, they had rags around their upper face and the bottom, and they ran past me, my mom, and my aunty and they chased my nephew."
But the pursuing gunman never caught him, he simply took aim from a distance.
Charles Moss,
"The guy shot him from about two hundred feet or so. It looks like he
is a marks man because he did it around my vehicle. I saw the man hold the gun sideways so and the man shot him from a good distance. I think those guys belong in the BDF. Like I tell everybody, those guys belong in the BDF. He went and he went close up and he gave him a sure shot right over him, he shot him. When I saw that, I just react so I ran to try save my nephew and I was running past the guy. He was coming to me now and I was running to him and apparently his rag dropped off of his face and he is fixing up his rag but I didn't get to see his face. Apparently I have to believe that the guy believed that I saw his face and then he turned the gun on me and he gave me one shot."
That one shot punctured his side under his arm, broke a rib, and is now lodged near his spine, leaving him paralyzed form the waist down.
Charles Moss,
"Right now I am paralyzed from here go down, I don't have any feeling, but tomorrow I will go in surgery and they will have to move away the broken rib and move away the bullet and the doctor says that after that I will do therapy to try to walk."
And though his prognosis is grim, this father of three is confident he will walk again.
Charles Moss,
"I have to walk, no doubt Jules, I have to walk. I have three girls, I have four girls that I have to make sure I walk them down the aisle when they get married. I have to walk. I just want to say something. I know my daughters are watching TV right now and I just want them to know that I am okay because my girls haven't had a chance to come here, I hear they are praying home so I am okay ladies."
And even as his optimism belies the seriousness of his condition, this man of God, who saw his nephew killed in the streets says he harbors no ill feelings to the killers.
Charles Moss,
"I serve a big God. I serve a big God and I can't, if I hold this against somebody, it will be on my part. I need to forgive him and I have already forgiven him a long time. I can't hold anything against anybody my brother, nothing. If I get a chance to speak to him right now, I'll share the Gospel of Christ with him because I realize people out here need the Gospel of Christ. They need to come to Christ. From the time a man does that, that is a hurt person who needs deliverance and needs freedom."
And that generous nature is one reason why his mother, who has lost so much, is in such anguish.
Carmen Ifield,
"They killed my two grandson and a son and I am tired of this. I cannot go anymore, I am weak, weak, weak over this. I really would want them to stop
this and they shot my innocent son who doesn't have any dealing with anybody."
Shawn Gardiner, Family Friend
"This lady right here has, they have taken away four of her grandson and one more of her son. What more do they want from the lady? They have to remember that this world is round. They don't know how their parents would feel if somebody goes and shot them up back."
The threats against this family continued last night, even after the 2:30 pm slaying, and now they say they've just had enough.
Carmen Ifield,
"I want it to end. I want to know when this will end. What else do they want from me? (I am) a old woman that's 72 year old. The hassling, I just cannot sleep in the night."
And like her son, for the killer she has a message of forgiveness.
Carmen Ifield,
"I wish I knew who was the one. I will take him and hug him up and kiss him and tell him, 'sweetheart stop these things, it doesn't make sense. We don't have anything against you. We don't know you and we don't have anything against you.' So I don't know."
As we reported last night, one other man, Jose Pech was shot in yesterday's attack. He was fixing a car at his home around the corner on Cairo Street. The gunmen encountered him when they dashed away from Euphrates Avenue and went on to Cairo Street supposedly to escape. He is also recovering in the hospital. And for context, we should note the chain of events that led to the shooting. Kevin Parks's brother, Darrel 'Bagga' Jones was killed on West Canal in May of 2002. Two nights later Sherman 'Hatcha' Flowers was killed in front of Chon Saan Palace. This killing four years later is believed to be retaliation for the Hatcha killing.
