Today's shooting was the 4th incident of what is believed to be gang related crime in 36 hours. As we told you last night, the third incident happened at the Brown Sugar Marketplace, which is also the headquarters of the San Pedro Belize Express Water Taxi.
5 people were shot at a graduation party being thrown by the Diaz family on Sunday night. As we reported 2 gunmen opened fire at about 100 or so guests, most of whom were high schoolers, and when the ordeal was over, 19 year-old Windell Neal, 22 year-old Triston Gordon,26 year Daniel Cain, 21 year-old Adelyn Vernon, and 22 year-old Kirk Smith Jr. were all injured.
Police suspect that of the 5, Kirk Smith Jr. was not a legitimate party-goer, in fact, they intend to investigate him as being one of the 2 shooters who first opened fire on the crowd. But, while he continues to recover at the hospital, his family wants to set the record straight. They spoke with Monica Bodden off camera today to give their version of events:
Voice of: Family member - Kirk Smith
"Sunday night my cousin usually comes at my house either to make jokes at me or to ask me for something or to just hang out before he goes home to sleep. So when he didn't come the Sunday I was worrying. One in the morning I am up, two in the morning I am up, we can't sleep, we called him phone - no reply. So I was puzzled because he doesn't do that, he is not a person who goes and nobody knows he is going. Coming in to the morning about 6:30 - 7:00 I ask my husband if he hasn't heard anything about my family - he says no he didn't hear anything. I am like that is not Lenny, I have to go to the station to ask for him, or go somewhere - hospital to check. Police is searching, you can't go anywhere - the GSU is around and we can't move how we want, so like let's say around 2:30 in the afternoon when another set came to search they say "du good" son if we hear anything about him because they heard that he got shot in his head. That didn't sound right "du good" son got shot in his head and we didn't hear anything, nobody came to tell us anything - it's not like a dog die. That left us puzzled so I went to the hospital to check because I was up and down the station and he wasn't there. When I reach at the hospital they say that a John Doe is there. They didn't want to let me in like that because I didn't have his ID, I didn't have anything for him, but I had my ID and it's my family member and I could identify him - let me see him because my uncle is at work. When I do reach in, I couldn't get in. I had to act a way, I finally got to reach him, talk nice to a lady who knows my mom - she asks me to just be patient and stuff like that."
"As I reach in the room, its like... I was hurt because then if you got a gunshot in your head and in your back by a pellet, why your face have to be burst up? What is not burst up is bruised up. I mean come on, they literally beat him. I listen to the news last night, I mean, that lady claim to say that they called the police when they saw him on some porch lay out - come on, if you call the police then how is beaten and bruise up? Those are the questions that the family is asking why didn't you all came to say anybody for us missing? What happened?"
Monica Bodden
"Nobody informed you guys?"
Family member - Kirk Smith
"Nobody told us anything until the second group of police came to search and inform a family member if he didn't hear anything about "du good" son - he heard he got shot in the head - come on. Nobody is dog out here, everybody have their love ones. They have to tighten up and try do something because it is getting serious out here."
Monica Bodden
"So from what you saw, because I understand that he had a gunshot wound to the back of his head and one to the back - from what you saw you believe or the family believes that he was beaten?"
Family member - Kirk Smith
"Yes, the way how it happened. Probably he got shot in his head as they told me, in his back. He fell on his face. He has a dig out on his face, like a burst under his eye. One of his eyes is bulge out. Underneath his jaw have a big burst. His tongue is hanging out of his head and blood is running from his mouth. If somebody got a pellet shot in their head they would never have that face damage like that unless the bullet penetrate out and you would have seen it. So nothing like that to say a bullet penetrated through his face."
Kirk Smith Jr. took pellets to the head, and remains in a critical condition at the KHMH. Just before news time, his family contacted us via telephone and told us that the doctors say he is brain dead.
