Tonight, the body of a 14-year-old boy lies in the morgue at the Southern Regional Hospital, and a policeman is in the Placencia village holding cell, accused of fatally shooting the minor on the beach last night.
It is a story that has incensed the entire nation - with howls of discontent and outrage streaming across social media.
Tonight, we have interviews with his adopted relatives, his biological family, and the police.
We start on the Placencia Peninsula where Cherisse Halsall spoke to a family friend, whose home the boys had just left before Laddie was killed. Here is her story:
This is the beach on the Placencia Peninsula where 14-year-old Laddie Gillett was shot dead. The boy and a 19-year-old friend were walking back to their hotel after visiting with an aunt but - a security guard at one of the resorts along the beach believed they were acting suspiciously, he says they were prowling around the property - and he called the police. And that's when things took a turn. We got the breakdown of the tragic event from the Commissioner of police this morning.
Chester Williams - Comissioner Of Police
"Based on that report police responded to the location and upon arrival they encountered two or three young men, they saw them running and in the process of doing so one of the officers fired a single shot and the shot caught one of the individuals who was running. The person who was shot was later identified to be a fourteen year old and he is a resident of Chaa Creek Lodge in Cayo he was taken to the Placencia polyclinic where he was pronounced dead on arrival."
And Laddie's death is one that has an entire nation outraged, with hundreds of people taking to Facebook and Instagram to express their anger behind the hashtag #JusticeforLaddie.
And while strangers are outraged, Laddie and Thomas's friend Lu Nicolait, the woman from whose house they had been returning is incensed. This afternoon she told us that her feelings now are those of profound sorrow.
Lu Nicolait - Family Friend
"Their friends, they just dropped by and we chat. Chat about school or about what's happening or where you been, that sort of thing.How you'd chat with your own little friends . They're on holiday, so they're happy, you know, they're with people they feel comfortable around, they're on the beach in Placencia. And they're with people that you know we all care about each other, they're with happy people so yeah their spirits were good."
This post from another friend in the neighbourhood shows the cake that Laddie, Thomas, and a female friend were sharing on the beach. A final sweet treat that the boy couldn't have known would be his last.
Lu Nicolait
"The last time they, weren't even in the house, the last time I heard, they were by my house was. They came by the door and knocked on the door and my granddaughter answered the door and they just said they were going home."
Cherisse Halsall
"So late last night or early this morning when you heard, you know what was your reaction?"
Lu Nicolait
"Well my reaction is always great sorrow when I hear that really good kids get hurt or damaged in anyway, of course it's heartbreaking. It's heart breaking and so that's my reaction. So it's a devastating loss for all of us I mean my family anyway."
Cherisse Halsall
"Was this a justifiable use of lethal force?"
Chester Williams
"No it was not from what I know so far based on what we have recorded, the shooting would be unjustified, we have a use of force policy and one of our policy is that we are not to shoot at a fleeing suspect, so he was not a suspect and yes he was running but from what we are gathering he was not running from the police, so he cannot be regarded as a fleeing suspect and so, yes the use of force would be unjustified."
Cherisse Halsall
"Sir at the end of the day a child has lost his life and in this case, a child that was associated with a prominent family, Belizean are outraged and their question to you is, is this child's life going to go just like that?"
Chester Williams
"I don't know how else I can say it Cherisse, I am a Belizean and I am outraged too, we all have to be outraged over what happened and I believe I've made it clear just now from what we get this shooting is unjustified and we will do what needs to be done. How else can I put it. I cannot go and kill the police he must be taken through a court process and that is what is going to happen. What we have done so far is that we have recorded statements from the officers involved as well as the watchman and the other young man who was with the deceased. I have directed professional standards branch to conduct both a criminal and a internal investigation in respect to that matter, and the police officer in question is in custody awaiting directives from the director of public prosecutions office."
