Tonight, a family from Belize's City's Antelope Street extension remains in mourning after the weekend murder of their 23-year-old son, brother, and nephew, Deron Hernandez.
It happened last night just after 6:00, shortly after Hernandez got home from work. That's when he was attacked inside his yard by a lone gunman.
And that's where our news team picked up the story this morning, retracing the last steps of a young man who his family says wasn't the type to hang out with anybody and who worked extremely hard, Here's more.
This is the gate that Deron Hernandez went to check in the final moments of his life
The 23-year old had just finished a double-time shift at his call center job and was just winding down from the day when a gunman came to end his life.
Audrey Dawson, Aunt of the deceased
"Well, I know that my nephew had just come from work because he's very, he's always working. He no heng you know and he went home and they heard the gate, my next, his next brother, he said check who's at the gate and then when he went to the gate, that's when he was like, he turned around. I don't know who, you know, that's what he was telling his brother but by the time he turned back around the person had already fired the shot at him. Through the door and it was right through the screen door that they fired the shot."
The Cops say it was a hit and that the gunman had it out for Devon.
ASP Fitzroy Yearwood, Communications Officer
"So far investigators have shared with me that Deron Hernandez and his would-be assailant may have had an altercation a day before this shooting occurred, so we are following up on that as well as other leads to see whether or not any of it would pan out and if the information would be of the magnitude that we could make an arrest."
But the family disagrees, they say that Deron was unbothered, acting nothing like a man under threat.
Audrey Dawson
"Deron hadn't had an argument with anyone, not that we know of, there was nothing that we knew about that because then if Deron had an argument he would not just have come to his door knowing that someone would have wanted to do something to him, you understand me. He would definitely take precaution -and by the time he turned back around."
And it only took that split second for Deron Hernandez to lose his life. His co-workers are still rattled having seen a smiling Deron leaving work only hours before they heard what had happened.
Moeisha Jones, Supervisor
"I would say that he was a very hardworking and humble individual, always came to work, always had us laughing and smiling. There was never a dull moment with him. So he was very hard working."
Cherisse Halsall:
"So when you heard last night that he had been killed, what was your initial reaction?"
Moeisha Jones, Supervisor
"Well at first I didn't want to believe it. It's never easy to process that you just saw someone and now they're gone, they barged into his house and did that to him so it was definitely shocking for me."
"I would just want to wish that they find comfort in this time and that they make it through this difficult."
But rather than finding comfort, this family is still searching for answers.
Audrey Dawson
"So, I don't understand how or why it got to this, why they would kill my nephew like that for nothing. All he did was work and try to fix up his house. Take care of his mom and you know, he didn't even have a child yet, 23 years."
"I can't see the reason, that is the thing we are trying to find the reason as to why, why you would attack my nephew."
Reporter
"And at this point is there any aspect of this that you feel the police should look more c;losely at?"
Audrey Dawson
"Well the police I think they are trying to do as much as they could. Just knowing that they dont really know, just like us what happened, so pending the investigation I guess then we will know exactly more likely what happened."
Deron Hernandez's brother who was living in the home along with him has since left the area.
