And so now - everyone is looking first to the police. They had at least 3 checkpoints in a half mile radius around that neighbourhood - but still could not stop the gunman coming through.
And, they picked as a target - a young man who could not be further from the gang life. This morning the police commissioner lamented the murder:
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"Every right-thinking Belizean should be outraged at the shooting of Dwayne Gabourel but while we are outraged, we must throw the blame squarely where it belongs."
"Dwayne Gabourel as you would know is not a gang member, he had not one iota of gang affiliation, not even his family members are not involved in gangs and so certainly he did not deserve to die the way he did."
"I sense all the rage and frustration and everything has been thrown at the police as if to say that it is our fault that the young man was killed, when in fact it is not we cannot, as much as we'd like to, stop every crime from occurring."
Indeed, it was more a venting session than a Press conference today as the Commissioner expressed his frustration at what he projected as the limitations placed on police by human rights lawyers.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"There is a lot that I would love to do to deal with the gang member but whatever we do it must be done in conformity with the law."
"Human rights is always focused on the rights of the perpetrators, the person who commits the heinous crime and the rights of the victim to live to be free is totally ignored."
But what's the strategic plan moving forward? For that the COMPOL passed the mic to the Officer Commanding Eastern Division, Dr. Richard Rosado.
Sr. Supt Dr. Richard Rosado, OC Eastern Division
"We've increased the police visibility in those areas. We have launched targeted operations in the affected areas, and those individuals, or that criminal minded individual who are hell-bent on committing violence we will go after them and we will go after them hard, those individuals who want to turn their lives around, we will extend a hand and see how best we can provide the necessary support system."
"The group that is involved is not part of the truce that the leadership intervention, the behavioral modification unit, and the department of youth services were involved in. They are not part of that group. The group that is involved that is outside that group."
And, with that promise of a harder stance against criminals the cops made a point of asking the public for their cooperation.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"At the end of the day sometimes I can't understand some of my Belizean people. Some of the same people who are outraged over what happened are the same ones who condemn the police when they go after these criminals."
"People take out their phone's video of what the police do, put it on social media, and we are condemned. That makes some of the police officers draw back, and it's not helping us. We either are with law and order or we are with the criminals. We can't be on both sides and I think that as a people we need to make the determination and decide what side we are going to be on."
