And the first two murder victims were 26-year-old Cleon Smith and 30-year-old Kendale Ramirez. They had travelled from Stann Creek to Belize City, just to meet their demise around midday. Smith had been trying to see his child, and Ramirez was just along for the ride. Smith's family believed that he was targeted by his ex-girlfriend, and while the police had initially detained her, she has since been released. The police are now also asking for assistance from the public in this case.
ASP Fitzroy Yearwood, Communications Officer, Police Department
"They were released and if needs be for them to be re-detained that will happen, but for us to say we have any update, no other new detainees, nobody has been charged so far, but hopefully we are following up some leads. It's a broad daylight shooting, but we must take all the factors into consideration that this is in a neighbourhood where people are usually tight-lipped. We are just asking to put yourself in these two victims' family situation and see how best you would have assisted if something like this should knock at your door. We are asking the general public to just help us, to cooperate with us. We can't go on hunch; we have to go on evidence gathered or like I said, circumstantial would also work."
