And while politics took the headline in tonight’s news – there is still worrying crime news to report. We say worrying because a man killed this weekend was not known either to authorities or to his family as the type who gave trouble. So why was he killed? That’s what Jacqueline Godwin tried to find out today.
Shauna Avilez, Twin sister of murder victim
“We are tired of this, every time we see it on the news but never knew it would happen to us. Anything but not like this.”
And what caused the murder of twenty six year old Shaun Avilez is what the police and his family want to know.
Helen Kemp, Grandmother of murder victim
“We do not know really what happened. We have no clue to what happened, no clue at all. We just know that he likes to go party and he went out. That’s all we know, nothing more.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
And the police haven’t told the family anything?
Helen Kemp,
“Nothing, nothing. Nothing yet.”
Sometime after 1 on Saturday morning Shaun was with Donovan Bailey and Balan Vassel on Regent Street West. As they walked past Mike’s Club, several shots rang out. One of the six bullets fired caught Avilez in the back of the head. Bailey received an injury to the right side of his lower back. He was treated at the KHMH but discharged himself from the hospital. Vassel was not harmed.
The family does not believe that their loved one was the intended target but that he was mistakenly shot and killed. Forty-year-old Junior Sanchez who lives right across from the crime scene says he was awakened by the sound of gunshots. Sanchez says he first saw the body and then people crying on the street.
Junior Sanchez, Witness
“And I saw the body on the street. Well he was already out you know, his Belikin pint was beside him and the blood pouring you know from the side.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
What was it like, were people on the scene already?
Junior Sanchez,
“Yes mam they were crying already up and down, young ladies. They didn’t want to get hurt so they ran from the gunshots. They saved themselves right.”
Shaun lived home with his grandmother Helen Kemp. Today she is at a loss as to why anyone would want to kill her grandson.
Helen Kemp,
“He got Friday morning and came out and then he came here to his mom’s house, that’s all we could say. The last time we saw him was Friday night about eight o’clock and that’s it – that’s it. He just gone. He has twins who are only two months who he surely was living for. He took them to clinic on Friday morning before he went to work.”
Shauna Avilez,
“He has hangs out with anybody and everybody and he always says to stop worrying about him because he doesn’t have problems with anyone and so he could go anywhere and no one won’t do him anything and everything will be alright. It’s not because he is gone.”
Shaun was Shauna’s twin brother and he was also the father of two month old twin babies. Shauna says while she felt something terrible had happened she could not believe that it was the murder of her twin brother who she described as loving and caring.
Shauna Avilez,
“The first time I went to the U.S. and we were sixteen and they had a birthday party for us and the whole time for the party I stayed in my room and cried and when I called home they told me that my brother stayed home and cried also, he didn’t go anywhere. And Friday night, I am a teacher at ACC, and we had a variety show and a school dance. I was there and selling chips and dip and everything was okay until a split second when I just felt something I my stomach and I felt like I wanted to vomit and I felt really really bad and the teacher told me to stop pretending because I was just dancing. She said I was acting like that because I didn’t want to go to the club because I don’t normally go to the club. I told them I can’t explain what it is, I just felt really really bad. I had to take a teacher home after that and I had to pass that exact area and if I knew my brother was going to die there then I could have slow down and look to see if I see him that’s not where he hangs out so I was not looking to see him any at all but whenever I am sick he is always there for me.”
One hour after was rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Shaun Avilez died.
Jacqueline Godwin,
Police said there was another young who was along with this individual, he too as well got shot. Was he at the scene?
Junior Sanchez,
“No mam, no. Only one person I saw. You hear it, they were really out to kill that one. They could have shot him in his toe or leg but they wanted to take him out and they did.”
At the scene police recovered six nine millimeter shells. It is regent street west’s second homicide in seven months and the twelfth for belies City in 2008.
Junior Sanchez,
“Crime continue, yes it continue. I can’t say it will stop because it comes to my door. I meet a lot of bad people so it happens. They threaten me, maybe they will try and come kill me – you never know.”
But the Avilez family says they only want justice.
Shauna Avilez,
“Everything for him is his twins and now he won’t be here for them. They won’t even get to know him, he is very loving.”
Helen Kemp,
“I surely would like to appeal and ask them to please help us if they know who is the killer. That is all we could do, nothing else. Nothing else, just ask them to help us, call the police or call home.”
Reporting for 7NEWS, Jacqueline Godwin.
Police say they have no murder weapon nor do they have a suspect. If you have any information that can help call the nearest police station or Crime Stoppers at 0–800–922–8477.
