There was a broad daylight murder in Belize City over the weekend. It happened on Saturday morning on Pitter Street in the Collet division. The victim is 28-year-old Simon Montes and the motive behind his mid-morning execution is uncertain tonight. Keith Swift has more.
Keith Swift Reporting,
Simon Montes was killed here on Pitter Street – a short distance from his home. Around 9 on Saturday morning, Montes was walking when he was approached by a gunman who opened fire. He was shot three times – at least one of them was to his head. Kareem Theus was a close friend of Montes. He didn’t see the shooting but arrived shortly after.
Kareem Theus, Friend of Deceased
“I was at work the morning when of my friends came around the lane and told me they had just shot ‘Pan’ so I just around the lane and when I reached, I saw the man on the ground. When I hauled up and thing I noticed it was ‘Pan’ and that is my homeboy. I mean to say we are on the corner and thing and that is where we hustle and make our little bread and thing. I didn’t know anyone would come and grease the man like that. I didn’t know the man as troubling anybody or fool with anyone those kind of way because the man is a hustler.”
Senior Superintendent Chester Williams says they are still investigating who wanted Simon Montes dead and why.
Sr. Supt. Chester Williams, 2nd in Command – Eastern Division
“The police are still conducting investigations. We haven’t received any substantive leads as yet which could really guide us to know exactly where to go but we are looking at some possible suspects and possible witnesses that we intend to interview very shortly but so far they have not been located.”
Sherrilyn Twist who has a 5-year-old daughter with Montes says he wasn’t a trouble man.
Sherrilyn Twist,
“He was somebody who was not very outspoken but he was a very good person.”
Keith Swift,
So any reason why anyone would want to hurt him?
Sherrilyn Twist,
“Well no because as I told you, he doesn’t usually talk that much and tell anybody his problems.”
One man Montes spent a lot of his time with was Kareem Theus. Both lived on Pitter Street. Theus can’t think of any reason why someone would want to kill his friend Montes – whom they called “Pan.”
Kareem Theus,
“It will be hard because he is a man who was always at your side hustling. I will miss a homie like that. He was somebody who didn’t really have anyone in his corner and thing so he had to hustle for whatever he had to do and that is what the man dealt with. The man is a hustler. He wasn’t a problem who had beef with anyone so it was strange when I heard ‘Pan’ got shot for whatever reason, I don’t know you dig.”
This is the second tragedy for the family this year. The first occurred on April 4, 2007 when his uncle Mauricio Velasquez Tillet was murder.
