Last night we told you about a double chopping that took place at a Maya Mopan apartment complex, the result of a squabble between neighbours that landed them both at the Western Regional Hospital with chop wounds.
Cherisse Halsall today visited the apartment complex that, last night, became a crime scene.
This is the exact spot that Tristan Lodge was sitting in yesterday when his neighbour Wilfred Neal allegedly flew at him with a machete. Lodge's brother-in-Law Dustin Pennell was forced to help him fight off his attacker. Here's his account of how it all went down.
Dustin Pennell - Family Member "Yesterday he just pushed the issue he fell in front of us, so my brother-in-law started to laugh and he ran upstairs for a machete."
Cherisse Halsall "What do you mean he fell in front of you?"
Dustin Pennell "Like he just fell, he was walking with some stuff, see the stuff still there, he was just walking with it and he fell with noise and then my brother in law laughed and he ran upstairs grabbed a machete and fired a chop at my brother in law in his face, in front of the kids them, and so I moved the kids to put them inside of the house because I said I didn't want my little nephews to get chopped and I went to go and get a weapon to defend you know to help my brother-in-law and he was there telling me to come, come help me and when I did try to help him I ended up knocking out the man. The man dropped on the ground and that's how we got the upper hand. I told him you know to calm down we had chopped him but not to hurt him we just did one chop left him there and told him to calm down yourself. He got up, he went upstairs and from then the police came and tended to everything."
And while his account is clear, Police are still putting together the pieces:
Chester Williams - Commissioner of Police "Both men were transported to the Western Regional Hospital where they were treated and released, and the injuries classified as wounding."
And wounded as he was, Lodge heard us speaking to his brother-in-law and hobbled outside. He gave us some background to his history with Neal explaining that there'd been ongoing tension over a garbage container that the neighbour's dogs would constantly knock over.
Cherisse Halsall "Reports yesterday were that he had been evicted from this apartment, do you know that to be true?"
Tristan Lodge - Chopping Victim "Yes, ma'am."
Cherisse Halsall "What was the incident that caused that eviction."
Tristan Lodge "Well due to the circumstances that since my baby's mother and her sister have been living here he was just constantly aggravating them, making noise, and that kind of thing. You could just literally have the door open, and he would be passing up and down. Making noise and spitting, acting like an insane person."
The family says that living downstairs from Neal became difficult and that they went to great lengths to avoid him.
Dustin Pennell "Mondays, I usually work in PG right and when I come down I, the whole week he's normal, he walks around, he does his stuff, cleans his vehicle, he gets up early in the morning like normal people. And like Monday morning when I got up I open the door in the morning sometime to sweep out. Don't even want to come outside to play. I just told them just stay inside you dig."
As you've heard, Pennell's nephews, a 5-year-old and a two-year-old were present when the incident occurred and are quite aware of why their uncle is wearing those bandages.
Cherisse Halsall "How are you feeling now?"
Tristan Lodge "Honestly, I feel better from yesterday, besides that I'm alright."
Cherisse Halsall "You move to Belmopan because I imagine you wanted a more peaceful life?"
Tristan Lodge "It's true I left the city because I was running from gunshots and I ran right into a machete."
It seems that after the altercation Neal's eviction has been effectively carried out, but he'll have to come back here one last time if only to pick up his car. Neighbours hope there's not another escalation.
We reached out to Wilfred Neal via telephone but he declined to comment.
