Our first newscast of 2012 - starts on a terrible note:
And that's because another 9 year old has been killed. It happened on New Year's eve, the last murder of 2011 - and again it appears to be the product of gang warfare.
Aaron Michael Myvett Pope - a standard 3 student at Grace Primary - was killed as he slept. He becomes the fourth child - between eight and nine years old - killed in 17 months on the Southside of Belize City - all four killings were the product of feuding - if not full out gang warfare.
The events that are believed to have led to this child's death - started out at a local nightclub, half hour before he was killed in his sleep. Jules Vasquez has a timeline:..
Jules Vasquez reporting
The very violent New Year's Eve started here at Palm Island at 4:00 am - when we are told there was a fistfight - which led to gunplay.
32 year old Renan Briceno Jr. - who was reportedly looking out for one of his friends who had been beaten - allegedly fired his weapon - a licensed 9 millimeter pistol, at an approaching crowd and shot 19 year old Dale Tillett, a fourth former of #87 George Street to the head, while 25 year old Brandon Tillett received a graze to his foot.
They were rushed to the hospital and Briceno was arrested. But Briceno is believed to have connections in the gang world - and the Tillett's are from George Street - and that gang is led by Tillett's.
So, half an hour later a spray of shots were fired here at Taylor's or Pregnant Alley - those are believed to be retaliation - and then minutes later, at 4:45 am - there was a home invasion here at the North End of George Street - which is near to Taylor's Alley and not to the George Street base which is at the South end.
As so, On Saturday morning as dawn broke on an overcast day Police covered the area in front of 25 George Street
The assault on Michelle Myvette's house started when a gunman or gunmen walked up the steps and stormed into her house
Voice of Michelle Myvette, Mother
"It was the main entrance; the bottom of it was kicked in."
Jules Vasquez
"So they came, they kicked open the door?"
Michelle Myvette
"It has a door stop at the bottom that we put down like a stand, it was broken off, so they probably kicked it in."
Then they went to the room doors which were unlocked - and opened fire - the bullet marking the wall:
Michelle Myvette
"I woke up hearing my daughter shouting ma, ma I got shot and I was hearing gun shots at the same time. My daughter was in this room and my son and I was in the other room. When she said I got shot, I dropped on the floor rolled under the bed and pulled my son on top of me not realizing that he had already gotten shot. I thought it in his eyes and I started to scream out, I talked to him, I called his name and got no response from him."
"It was not until we got to the hospital and they gave him a cat scan did I learned that he had gotten shot in his head and the bullet travel from one side of his brain to the other side of his brain, and the doctor said that they wouldn't be able to do anything for him and that he was going to die, my son died at 8:03."
As his mother clings to a clutch of photographs of Aaron Pope, it's clear the standard three students is another child victim of a senseless war between adults. And we can't even say that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time: the child who liked to play the drums at his Church was sleeping upstairs were three females, who - with the close range firing - could have all been killed - judging from the array of bullet holes in the bedrooms. His 17 year old sister Kadisha was grazed in her elbow.
So why they so mercilessly targeted - and was it retaliation? This head of the household would not speculate:
Jules Vasquez
"As you understand it what is the cause for all of this?"
Michelle Myvette
"We don't know because we don't have any affiliation with any gang, so we don't know."
Jules Vasquez
"There are stories that the target was "Best," the young man that live down stairs."
Michelle Myvette
"My brothers live down stairs, and only I, my daughter and my son live upstairs so, we don't know. "Best" was at work, and as far as we know he came from the sugar boat that morning meeting the police here."
Jules Vasquez
"Do you think that they came looking for him?"
Michelle Myvette
"I don't know, really I don't know."
And, understandably, she could hardly care. Her young son is dead, his abundant pictures on the wall now mock the cruelty of his absence - and this mother knows it could have been her:
Michelle Myvette
"It was almost me; my son got a shot that could have been me."
And now this George Street resident says after this, she can't sleep:
Michelle Myvette
"I never expected anything like this, I felt safe living on George Street, people always say, you live on George Street and they have this bad vibes and this attitude towards you when they hear you live on George Street, but I would always tell them that I live on the safe side of George Street, I walk from one end to the next end feeling safe, never thought that anything like this could have happened."
"From it happened I have not slept in this house, I have not laid on my bed, I don't know if I'll ever fell safe again."
But with all that she's lost, this mother does not want revenge
Michelle Myvette
"We're god-fearing people, we are Christians, my son was a Christian, he got baptize in March and we can only said that God knows why this happened. I can't ever question God; I am just going to leave it in God's hands. We don't want any retaliation; yes we would want justice for the person to be found. I have personally prayed every Monday night about the gang violence and the killing in Belize and I can only say that, there is like a death angel over Belize and I will pray that it would stop and that these people will know that they are hurting people. They are hurting and they are talking lives, only God gives and only God takes away life but when they think it's their right to talk away somebody's life then they are going beyond God."
Aaron Pope is vividly remembered in this neighborhood where he was often seen racing his bike up and down the block:
Janet Moses, neighbor
"He comes around, ride his bicycle, play games with my kids; PlayStation or PSP, he would take the neighborhood kids and play race. He is much known and very playful but it's very hard."
Aaron Michael Myvette Pope's father, the cyclist Elbert Pope was killed in 2010 - another unexplained killing. Dale Tillett remains in the KHMH in a very critical condition. Though he was reported dead, the KHMH confirms that he is still clinging to life.
His relative Brandon Tillett who was grazed to the foot was treated and released. The man accused of shooting them, is SPEEDNET Employee Renan Briceno Juniour, cousin of the former leader of the Opposition, John Briceno.
The 32 year old marketing officer was arraigned in court today where he was read charges of attempted murder, dangerous harm and use of deadly means of harm.
Because it is a firearm offence, he was remanded until February 16th. No plea was taken because the offences are indictable. He was represented by David Morales and Dickie Bradley - who have applied for bail to the Supreme Court - though it cannot be hear until seven days have expired.
He owns a licensed firearm.
As for the home invasion at Michelle Myvett's home, no one has been detained or charged for that. But it is an issue of ongoing investigation by police and analysis by CYDP and RESTORE Belize. That's because many see the event of Saturday morning as putting an end to the gang truce. The prevailing wisdom is that the killing of the nine year old was retaliation by George Street against Taylor's, or Pregnant Alley - that is what police and truce facilitators are going with, but we can't say it is fact.
But the truce that's held since September - is certainly in jeopardy and since Saturday morning, Restore Belize and the CYDP have been convening meetings to hold the truce together and to prevent retaliation.
So far, there has not been retaliation, and RESTORE Belize has been facilitating dialogue between gang leaders.
