As we told you at the top of the newscast, there were two murders in the last 24 hours. We've told you about the early morning killing in the city, but here now is the story of yesterday's killing in Orange Walk town.
A teenager is dead, and tonight, reports are that, a 13 year old stands charged for conspiracy to commit murder.
As we told you, the entire mess started with a primary school misunderstanding, but things escalated to a grown up level when bystanders got involved?and pretty soon, a 19 year old had been knocked unconscious, soon to be pronounced dead. Monica Bodden found out more when she went to Orange Walk today.
Monica Bodden Reporting:
It seems like just a normal school day for students of Louisiana Government School - but yesterday evening - shortly after the school bell rang - their school compound turned into a murder scene - that has left the entire town shaken. It started out as a fight - which turned deadly. It involved 2 standard 6 students from the school and 4 young men.
Artemio Gonzalez, Father of Shamir Gonzalez
"According to my next little son, he went to pick up one of my little grandson that is in Infant 1. So when he got the school to pick him, because he always goes to pick him up about 2:15 p.m. so. When he reached he heard that they were going to beat his little brother, the next one for a girl, the next one that is twelve years old. So he went and called his brother, and they went to go find his brother, to see what is happening at the school."
19 year old Shamir Gonzalez was murdered yesterday after he was hit with a pipe behind his neck. Today his brother- Yassir Gonzalez - who is also not a student of Louisiana Government School - told us he was a part of yesterday's fight. And that they had gone to the school to simply accompany their 11 year old brother home - after he was threatened by two Standard 6 students.
Yassir Gonzalez, Brother of Shamir Gonzalez
"I when to pick my nephew and those boys started to curse me, so I got of my bike, and I went upstairs to ask them what their problem is because I don't know them."
Monica Bodden
These are student that were cursing at you?"
Yassir Gonzalez
"They were cursing me so I had to curse them back, and afterwards, when I went upstairs they said that they would beat up me and I dared them to do it, but they didn't do it. So then afterwards, they said that it was because of my little brother, so I figured that they might try to "chance" my little brother."
Monica Bodden
"Who is in standard 5 and these boys are in standard 6 right?"
Yassir Gonzalez
"Yes and afterwards, I came home and told my brother. We went back to school to escort my little brother so that nothing happened to him."
14 year old Yassir says after he received the threats from the Standard 6 students, he along with his big brother, 19 year old Shamir Gonzalez went back together to Louisiana school to pick up their little brother - 11 year old standard 5 students - Zair Gonzalez. At the time Zair was doing classroom duties after school - and so his two brothers were waiting for him in the school's compound.
Yassir Gonzalez
"He had duties so we had to wait. Those boys came down and one of them went to call some boy that was on the street. They passed us and went to the back gate. We thought that they already left to go home, so we thought that my little brother was safe to go because he was going through the front gate. So my brother and I decided to go through the back gate to go home. And afterwards, when we went to back gate we saw them waiting right there. One of the little boys already had a stick so figured he would try to "whap me" off my bike. So I got off and I fought him one on one. So I went toward him and he lifted the stick and took the first shot hitting me, I put out my hand to shield myself so that he didn't hit my head. That hit burst open my hand; I grabbed the stick and I pushed him to the ground, and I started to beat him. His friend saw that I was winning so he came in. That's when my brother saw as well so he came closer. The other boy had a brother on the street that isn't going to school. He came with an iron pipe and he hit my brother on the back of his head."
Shamir was knocked behind his neck was a pipe and died almost instantly. It is said that the 19 year old neck was broken. The person who knocked Shamir with the piece of pipe is believed to have been the brother of one of the Standard 6 students - 17 year old Abimael Pott.
Many say the fight was over a girl who also attends the same school.
Yassir Gonzalez
"They liked "see this girl", and they threatened my little brother that if he continued speaking to her, they would beat him up."
Monica Bodden
"Did you little brother ever complain to his teacher or the principal, that these guys from a higher class is harrassing him?"
Yassir Gonzalez
"He always went and complained to the principal but she never did do anything about it. If you told her, that was just a waste of time because she'd just leave it alone and let it go by like nothing happened."
Jules Vasquez
"Now sir, who do you feel anger at with this thing happening like this?"
Artemio Gonzalez
"I don't want to blame anyone, you know. Like I said it's destiny, God's plan. When it is your time to die, I believe God come for you, you know. He give you the life and he takes it away. So I am leaving it in God's hands."
Jules Vasquez
"And sir, do you think that the school should have intervened in this dispute between your son and the other child?"
Artemio Gonzalez
"I believe so because - but where the infant is there teachers are far on the other side. The teachers are closed to Mr. Vasquez's house, so at the time there was no teacher present. The thing happened too fast, so when the teacher was alerted the thing had already happened."
Orange Walk police have detained the 2 Standard six students of Louisiana Government school and 17 year old Abimael Pott for questioning.
Today we spoke with one of the minors parents off camera - who was furious -after a local newspaper published the name of her 13 year old child. The headlines read - primary school student kills fellow students. The family says that's a broad allegation and they had no right.
Mother of the 13 year-old detained
"5 weeks ago, my son came and told me that there was this little boy that is sending threats to him about some girl. I asked what kind of thing this is about he told me that he doesn't even speak to this little girl, but the boy is saying that I am messing around this girl. It stayed like that; I forgot to even tell anyone, we didn't go to the school. So yesterday at 3:30, they called my husband and told him that our son got into a fight and it looks like the boy died."
Monica Bodden
"So now your standard 6 son is detained by police as a suspect for this murder?"
Mother of 13 year-old
"As a suspect, they have my son locked up right now behind bars, just 13 years-old. My son, last night, we went to hospital for him to get a check-up. My son can't even breathe well where they hit him with a stick on the stomach."
Stacey Kelly, Amandala Newspaper
"Can you explain the other injuries on your son?"
Mother of 13 year-old
"His head is full of bumps where they hit him. They broke the piece of stick on his head and with the next piece that stayed in the hand, that's what they used to hit him on his stomach, on his shoulder - he says that when he breathes he is in pain. And I can't even imagine, and the police locked up my 13 year-old little boy behind there where it's hot. My son is short; He can't even make it to the window to breathe fresh air. So how do you think I'm feeling that they beat up my son, locked him up as a suspect, and the one that beat him isn't locked up. I understand that he lost his brother, but it's him - I feel for it, because it could have been my son who is dead right there. His friend didn't help him, because according to him, they didn't mean to stop hitting him anytime soon, but he can't be there to find trouble, and the brother, I got to understand, is 19 year-old. Why didn't put a stop, so that his little brother doesn't fight. You see the size of them, why would they fight?"
Jules Vasquez
"You think your oldest son; he did the right thing by going out there to defend to defend his little brother?"
Artemio Gonzalez
"Yes because the next brother told him that they were going to beat the little 11 year-old one, and so he went to see what the problem was. So I believe that maybe those guys in drugs situation don't care what will happen, because they told him that they will break him up - they will beat him up. So He went and intervened, which I guess, we cannot say if something could have happened to the other one."
Jules Vasquez
"If he as a son, as a 19 year-old son, would have ask your advice, would you have told him, 'Yes, you need to defend your little brother.'?"
Artemio Gonzalez
"No, I would have told him to go and see the teachers and see what we can do to settle this matter."
Police say they have since detained the Pott brothers - both minors - pending investigations. As we noted, late unconfirmed reports are that a 13 year old has been charged for conspiracy to commit murder.
