Last night we had breaking news that there had been yet another murder in Belize City, this time on the North side - King's Park area.
And it was not just another sad statistic, in this case, the victim, 26-year-old Jordan Bradley was a beloved figure in his King's Park neighborhood and a dedicated caretaker to his grandmother. If he was notorious it was only for his humility, and easygoing nature.
And that's why tonight his entire community is bewildered as to why anyone would want to kill Jordan. And the way they did it with such deliberate cruelty is what's even more confounding.
Tonight we'll talk to his Uncle who said that he didn't run because not being from the streets he wouldn't have seen the signs:
This corner on 11th street became a scene of violence just moments ago when 25 year old Jordan Bradley met his end in a drive by by two masked gunmen who emerged from a dodge Caravan, guns blazing...
And for a moment it was a chaotic scramble for cover - and when all was said and done, there was Jordan Bradley, an infrequent visitor to this yard, lying dead.
This morning one resident who chose to appear off camera gave us a brief description of what happened.
Voice of Eyewitness
"Everyone was just here socializing like we do every day because it's a family yard and we just saw an unknown vehicle came gunman ran out with masks and they went into the yard fired shots and they left. When we went in there we saw that someone died."
She and another woman escaped into the bushes, where they hid while cradling infants in their arms.
Cherisse Halsall
"And in that moment when you had to run with your child tell me what was going through your mind?"
Voice of Eyewitness
"I ran for my safety because I had a young child and other children there so i just ran for my safety."
But she says the police had given them a warning.
Cherisse Halsall
"I understand that a day before the police had come here and told you guys to move to the back of the yard, what did you think then?"
Voice of Eyewitness
"We didn't think anything but you know me as a mother... I have young children but I didn't expect it to happen."
And if residents of the yard didn't see this coming it wasn't even in the realm of the possible as far as Jordan Bradley's family was concerned. And it hit his little brother Dennis harder than anyone.
And moments later he could be seen demanding to know what happened.
Dennis Bradley
"So, somebody saw something and I need for somebody to tell me something!"
Voice of Jordan's Uncle
"When I got there you know I saw the police out there and the rest of my family out there, they were just crying and as I observed in the yard from a distance, I saw my nephew laid out in the yard and that was one of the most heart wrenching scenes I could have ever imagined coming across knowing the type of person that my nephew was and to see him in that condition. He loved playing checkers. That was one of his favorite hobbies and so early the morning I got to understand that being home and helping out as he always does. He went there that's what I heard that's what they were doing at the time, they were playing checkers, we saw his checkers board that was there in the yard and you know it's just tragic because from what I understand when the young man they got there being a person that is not affiliated in gangs and not aware of what was going on he was the one that didn't run. He was the one that paid the penalty at the time being at the wrong place at the wrong time and so it's just heartbreaking."
A young man who was his grandmother's primary caretaker who took charge of giving her her insulin every morning.
Voice of Jordan's Uncle
"He's always home most of the time helping his mother and grandmother in the house. That was his routine. He will be greatly missed. Many people know him as a person that is hard working, a person that is always willing to help others, you know a humble individual, very respectable and so it's just difficult for us to wrap our minds around this situation knowing the type of person that Jordan was to see him come to such a tragic end, senseless end, knowing that he wasn't a type of persons who would be involved in any criminal activity at all."
And today in the aftermath of his killing social media was inundated with sympathies and lamentations by Jordan's friends. But while few saw this tragedy coming retaliation for the weekend murder of Jeffrey Buller was very much on the COMPOL's radar.
Chester Williams - Commissioner of Police
"Again, you know that he is a known figure from the Bacaland area, and we also anticipate that there's going to be some form of retaliation for his death."
Those words put the neighborhood watch on high alert and this afternoon it's chair lady told us that there had been rumblings about suspicious strangers for days.
Aleida Pott - Chair Lady, Knights Neighborhood Watch
"It really hurts to know that one of our neighbors' family passed away. We have had suspicious vehicles in the area, people that we don't know in the area so we knew that something was going to happen or was about to happen or about to happen or something was going to happen that's why people were coming into our area."
The King's Park Knight's neighborhood watch group working to acquire and install more security cameras in the neighborhood. The hope is that added surveillance will deter violence or at least help the authorities catch future perpetrators.
