And three hours after his killing there would be another murder in the city.
At 8:40, 32-year-old Dwayne Cherrington was killed while visiting his girlfriend's home on M & Y Street, known gang turf. He had just reached inside the gate around 8 last night when he was fatally shot. Courtney Menzies has the story of how a family man ended up as a casualty in this war.
Another murder in Belize City has left a family asking, why him? 32-year-old Dwayne Cherrington was reportedly targeted simply because of where he lived.
In a Romeo-and-Juliet-esque story, Cherrington had just moved from Flamboyant Street to M&Y Street to live with his girlfriend.
Unfortunately, the two areas are home to rival gangs, and Cherrington was a casualty in a war he had no part in. His sister, Indira Cayetano, spoke to us with tears in her eyes as she tried to understand how her brother became a victim of gang violence.
Indira Cayetano, Sister of Deceased
"Dah something weh we mih neva expect right away because we talk to my bredda, we tell ah noh go back deh, we know you no gang affiliated, even the police officers, when I talk to they last night bout my bredda, they say they they have no file ah my bredda. My bredda dah wah family person - yes everybody have their flaws but my bredda noh know how fi shoot a gun, I could put my head on the block fi that part deh. How and why unu wah take weh this man weh noh do unu nothing, noh hurt - not even hurt nobody, fi get wah name? What? Fi look good?"
Cherrington's mother-in-law told us off camera that her daughter was hysterical and could barely speak. She remembered hearing the gunshots last night, as the incident happened right outside her front door. Her daughter is now left with feelings of guilt since her boyfriend was killed while visiting her.
Indira Cayetano, Sister of Deceased
"I mih just reach inside ah my house, jump pan the bed, and when I hear the gunshot, I say, my gosh, please noh make that be my bredda and as I say that I see the phone call and I mih neva want pick it up because I dah like, I no ready fi hear it. When I pick it up she say, your bredda just dead, please come."
"She dih tell me, I sorry, I sorry, and I tell she, I can't get vex with you and I can't be mad with you because, you know, we can't say when we wah stay or when we gwen, we can't be mad."
Cayetano explained that Cherrington was a family man, who lived for his two daughters. He was a helpful person who always assisted his neighbors with various odd jobs. Now Cherrington's little family is left broken
Indira Cayetano, Sister of Deceased
"My two nieces loved their stepmom, and she dah everything fi those two girls also, so dah mih a real family and they really bruk wah family, you know, wah family we just the grow, weh the bloom."
"Dah like a year and change now my bredda deh with this young lady and I could see weh she make my bredda push ihself more to be that person, you know, like she the mold he to the way how she want and my bredda, he mih the do it cause when my bredda love somebody, he love they, he no care weh extreme he have to go, he do it."
The increase of gang violence in the area has the police on high alert, and Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams, explained that they will be conducting intensive operations in the area of St Martin's to prevent retaliation.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"From a law enforcement stand point, there's a lot that we need to do and I want to assure the public that we will do what needs to be done, I'm not going to go to full specifics in terms of what our plan of action will be to address the issue but those persons who are involved in the recent gang warfare need to understand and need to get the message that they are not going to able to hold the masses of the country or the masses of the people of St Martin's hostage."
Police officers were seen in the area last night, but the public caught a glimpse of riot shields and questioned the need for the riot squad. ComPol Williams explained that it was only the GSU who were in the streets.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"After the shooting of Cherrington, and the fact that they were spades of shooting, I directed certain operations to take place in the Martin's area and the people came out to execute those operations and in the process of doing so, missiles were hurdled at the police and so the police brought out the riot shields just to protect themselves from the missiles that were being thrown at them."
THE Cayetano family, like many others, is asking for the gun violence to stop.
Indira Cayetano, Sister of Deceased
"How much more family they wah hurt? How much more innocent life? How much more?"
Cherrington's daughters are ages 9 and 7.
