Tonight, the Belize District is reporting 2022's first triple murder. It happened in the village of Sandhill when three residents were gunned down while socializing in their usual hangout spot.
But if you ask the cops they were certainly in the wrong place at the wrong time because they were hanging out with the neighbourhood Durr - slang for the village weed - dealer.
And at just around 10:30 last night when shots rang out in the neighbourhood, their families, two of which lived nearby couldn't imagine that they were hearing the sound that marked the end of the lives of their loved ones.
I travelled to Sandhill this morning to find out more.
STANDUP
This is the house in Sandhill where Jareem Davis, Emerson Garcia, and Charleston Jenkins met a brutal end.
This morning Police confirmed that this house was one known to sell drugs. They expect that this violent crime is a result of that activity.
The bodies were discovered shortly after by Jenkins's grandmother. She'd initially thought they were sleeping but then she saw the blood.
Jennifer Anthony Augustine, Charleston's Grandmother
"So I di hail but when I look I saw like three of them were asleep but then I said how could the three of them be sleeping like that with the door open and draft dropping on them. So, I hollered and I was hailing them hailing them, nobody answered me so I went in I stepped up more and went into the house and then the young man, one of them sat down flat who is my neighbor who lives right here sat down flat with his hand like this stiff and I wondered how his hand looked like that so I stepped in a bit more. I didn't see any blood, I didn't see anything yet until I went in more."
"And when I looked to the back I saw my grandson's friend in the back laying down on his belly too, then I looked at him and I saw blood on his foot like and he was on his belly then I looked so, that was my grandson now I see lay down on his side so with his head so raggy up head and I bent down and I touched him just wondering if it was him but I was seeing like it was him and then when I looked in there round and round I saw all the blood all around everywhere and then I realized I was seeing blood."
And when the information reached Charleston's mother she broke down. Her mother and sister had to help her to the scene. Charleston's aunt Bernadette also shared her impressions of the horrific aftermath they were forced to confront.
Bernadette Augustin Olivera, Charleston's Aunt
"My mom came and hollered for me she hollered and said B, Berns, she said come here, and I said what happened and she said it looks like everybody is dead over there so I said mom, everybody dead over there where she said by Emo and so I said you can't serious and she said "stony' and all and I said what and then I started to tremble."
"I went and I walked upstairs and I told her let's go with me into the house so she said she can't make it up into the house so I stepped on the verandah and when I stepped on the verandah with a hole in his head and he's bleeding and I saw my nephew on the ground full of blood and she said one more is there momma, one more is in the back and I said mom I can't go no more into the house. I said I can't take it."
And this morning it was left to the Commissioner and the bosses of Eastern division to comfort these families while taking a closer look at the heinous crime.
Chester Williams, Commissioner Of Police
"Last night sometime around 10:30 pm police received information of shots fired in the Sandhill area, based on that police responded and upon arrival at the location where the information was obtained from they discovered three lifeless bodies inside a home. Those bodies were transported to the Karl Heusner Memorial hospital where they are currently awaiting a post-mortem. Police had canvassed the area and found a couple of expended shells and it also showed that there was no force entry into the house and we believe at this time that those three persons were murdered by someone who is acquainted with them."
Hilberto Romero, Sr. SUPT
"We can confirm that yes marijuana used to be sold from that house."
Reporter:
"Given that angle do you believe it may have been drug related?"
Hilberto Romero, Sr. SUPT
"Yes, that is a possibility yes. We are gathering information at this time and we have leads that we are following up on and so later on we will try to establish what caused these three murders."
But for the family of Emerson Garcia his death in this manner is one they can't begin to comprehend.
Maureen Olivera, Sister-In-Law to Emerson Garcia
"Emerson was living there over like two years and he didn't share anything about his life was in danger or anything like that because he was a very humble and caring person, loving person, everyone from this village knows Emerson because he would give his last that's the type of person he is. The entire family is shocked. I'm very shocked and he didn't expect this at all."
Cherisse Halsall:
"What was Emerson's relation to the two other young men, how did they come to be friends, they were friends, they would come from work every day and go to Emerson's house and just hang out."
Jareem Davis's father said that at least two of the men had met in church and that if his son smoked weed he certainly didn't know about it. All he could do today was lament the unfortunate circumstances that tonight leave him and his wife without the boy they raised.
Steven Davis, Jareem Davis's father
"Very shocking, very shocking."
Cherisse Halsall:
"This is a shocking incident... If your family had to hazard a guess, can you even figure why this would have happened?"
Steven Davis, Jareem Davis's father
"I don't think I want to figure it out because it's really sad, and when I got the news after 11:00 last night, it was sad, sad."
"I just see what people go through when their sons get shot for real but my son was not a violent person. No gang, nothing, he worked, likes his music, that's it."
"He was a good guy he was raised up with us in church until 18 years old and at 19 he decided to move out to these areas here but I live in Lord's Bank. He worked at the fire station at night. He's supposed to work tonight but he never did make it and he works back by the airport."
The cops say that the suspects they are pursuing are also from the Sandhill area.
Emerson Garcia leaves behind two children. The younger men were not known to have been fathers.
