And switching now to crime news tonight there was a father's day murder - and the victim was the dad of a known gang boss.
It happened at 3:00 on Sunday afternoon when Benjamin Hyde Sr. was riding his bike down King street. That's when a lone gunman ran out of a yard and fired several shots at him.
Hyde was killed on the spot, laid out across his bicycle having sustained several gunshot wounds.
This morning Cherisse Halsall went out to the streets hoping to find out more about Hyde's murder. Here is that story.
Father's Day ended in tragedy for the Hyde family when the news broke that Benjamin Hyde Sr who had ridden over Swing bridge to deliver a plate of Sunday dinner to his daughter on King Street had been gunned down on that very same street.
It's a killing that's sent a chill through the city because Hyde's son, Christy is a well-known Rocky Road gang figure.
The younger Hyde is currently the subject of a manhunt with the cops fearing that his father's callous murder may trigger retaliation.
And while those street dynamics have their own momentum and charge, that was not the life of Benjamin Hyde Sr - he was a family man - likely targeted in a gang beef he had no part of:
Voice of: Victim's Nephew
"He was an easy going person he was an employee at the Belize City council for over 10 years, he was a security guard, he was a loving father, a loving cousin, a loving Uncle, grandfather, so I can't see why the system paints you blacker than you already are, I can't see it. It strikes me a back hence the reason I told you that I will give you an interview but off camera. I know nothing about the incident more than I have lost an Uncle, more than my heart is ripped out."
And Ben Hyde Sr was all heart - we met him back in 2012 when he joined his Victoria Street neighborhood in building a park for a child who had been gunned down in the street.
posted (February 14, 2012)
Benjamin Hyde - Victoria Street Community Effort
"We have to come together in the neighborhood in person - because this is no 'politricks' thing - this is on our own timing, and we are doing our thing for the kids in the neighborhood."
Back then Hyde couldn't know that he was destined for the same fate.
While remembering Benjamin this morning his nephew, who chose to appear off camera, expressed outrage for the way he says the press has spun the events surrounding his Uncle's death.
Voice of: Victim's Nephew
"It is outrageous to think that one would gun down somebody who is unfamiliar with the circle in terms of it is somebody who doesn't come out and affiliate in such circular, regardless who is your son or who your sons are, you have something with my son deal with my son. That is my take on it deal with my son, don't deal with me I am not my son."
"Who needs to have know that that was a reputed gang members father everybody knows that already in the streets so why are you throwing that out there, what do you want to spark what are you fueling?"
"So I must blame the media for that. The media has to stop twisting and turning stories. The media sparks grave retaliatory actions after most of the shootings that occurs because of their simple wording."
The media got that information from the police - who see the murder as gang related:
ASP Fitzroy Yearwood, Communications Officer
"We are not saying that that is the only angle we're looking at, we are looking at several angles but certainly that is the first angle we are examining knowing that his son is rival with the other gang in that area where he was shot. We have to pay that special attention because this of course could become very volatile and we have prepared ourselves for any other actions that they may try to come with and we are going hard after both gangs involved in that dispute, no."
Voice of: Victim's Nephew
"When you do these things you leave other lives in threat that is what you do. So you all have got to gather yourselves and don't wait until this thing knocks at your door unu di worry about Covid, we have a far worse pandemic and epidemic here in Belize."
This morning police communications officer Fitzroy yearwood says they are taking the perceived threats very seriously.
ASP Fitzroy Yearwood, Communications Officer
"It took place a few yards from a police precinct I don't know how much more we could heighten our security but we have things in place to try to bring these persons to justice and if you know the dynamics of that area it has a few little alley ways that you can travel through. So what we will do now is provide our patrols in all of these alleyways. We have several manners that we can do that by foot, by motorbike, by bicycle but if you see an increased presence in that area don't be alarmed we are just trying to keep the law abiding citizens of Belize safe."
ASP Yearwood says that while they have several persons detained there is not yet enough information with which to charge any of them.
We'll keep following this story.
