Tonight a Belize City mother is says that her teenaged daughter is lucky to be alive after she was hit by one of several bullets fired randomly around eight fifty last night at the corner of Ben Bow Street and Kraal Road. The family who has already lost one son to gun violence is now looking to leave Belize City, a place they’ve called home for years, but now it’s a place which has brought them too much grief, sorrow and close calls. Today Shalome Middleton spoke to 7NEWS about the tragedies and close calls that have left her living in fear.
Shalome Middleton, Mother of Shooting Victim
“I done lose my son last year and I still noh quite get over that and all I would want those young boys to do is to stop the shoot up people because they are shooting innocent people who didn’t even do them anything.”
On May fifth of 2007, twenty year old Meldrick Flowers was shot and killed. One year and seven months later Shalome Middleton’s sixteen year old daughter Shanice Flowers was grazed in the forehead by a stray bullet. While Belize City Police do not believe the 2007 homicide and the 2008 shooting are related the crime and violence has now taken a toll on the family.
Shalome Middleton,
“And she said it was directly on her they were firing the shots because when it hit the cement, the thing they sting up on her foot and then she went and bend down and when she bent down is when it grazed her to the head.”
The teenaged girl was on her way to pick up a homework assignment but had stopped by this Chinese grocery store.
Shalome Middleton,
“I told her I would wait for her because I didn’t want her to wait long and I stood up talking to a young man and I was telling him I don’t like how my daughter likes to go around in that area there because they always have gunshots and those things and I already lost a son last year already so I just told her I would stand up and wait for her. A little after she went so I heard the shots.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
How many shots?
Shalome Middleton,
“About 5 or more because it went fast. So I told her I was waiting for her and while I was waiting for her and I heard the shots I was looking to run this way to come so because I didn’t in which directions the shots were being fired and when I heard somebody bawling and then someone shouted Shanice and then I remember my daughter ran that way and so when down there and she was coming to me across the street and the blood was pouring down in her face. She only got a graze but the doctor said she is very lucky.”
Belize City Police believe they know who is responsible for the shooting and have been looking for the suspect.
Shalome Middleton,
“I always want them to find the right person because right now a lot of innocent man are in jail. Even for the one who killed my son, the person there, I heard it is not them.”
Jacqueline Godwin reporting for 7NEWS.
Sixteen year old Shanice Flowers did require some stitches. She has since been released from the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. According to Shalome Middleton her daughter is suffering from headaches and for the next five days she must attend clinic to clean the wound and finally to remove the stitches.
