One elderly man was killed while another is recovering in the hospital after they were both shot yesterday evening.
It happened in the Albert area of Belize City - and it appears that tour guide Emert Flowers was killed because the gunmen wanted to get at his son.
Courtney Menzies found out that the story is still a little more complicated than that though:
Two senior citizens were sitting inside a yard on Racecourse Street when a gunman ran in and opened fire on them. 77-year-old Dusseldore Waight was rushed to the hospital, while 61-year-old Emert Flowers died on the spot, having been hit several times.
But neither men were troublemakers - they were just trying to peacefully enjoy their senior years. But Flowers' family believes he was targeted because of his son's criminal history.
Ann Flowers, Sister of Deceased
"My brother don't ever get into any kind of trouble. Best brother ever. He don't give no trouble, he get along with everyone and everyone out there was telling me how the chanced him out his life. He don't have anything to do with what his child does here."
"My kids in LA they can't take it, I called one of his daughters a few minutes away and she out of it, they just crying, they haven't seen their dad from the time he came to Belize. And right now, they tripping off of nobody don't know where's my nephew. So I don't know, I just have to prepare to busy my brother."
Sandra Thompson, Cousin of Deceased
"Mutty was just a friendly person, he likes to do tours, he always talks about tours, he's a very happy person, he likes the ladies, he's a ladies man too, he works hard, he works as a tour guide and that was his only motive, he always wanted to own his own van and do his own tour stuff, he was a kind person. I never saw him in a conflict with no one or anything like that, he always want to get with a lady or get comfortable or something like that. All his life since he came back from America, I haven't seen him locked up in the police station, nothing, it's just that the things your child do sometimes, it comes back to you."
And right now, Flowers' son, Kyle Latchman, is missing - and his family fears the worst.
Ann Flowers, Sister of Deceased
"My nephew is missing for the last three to four days and I understand that he's supposed to have gotten kidnapped, and whoever got him hold, I would ask for them to let him go or… I don't know. But they got him hostage and they turned around and killed my brother that don't have anything to do with what my nephew do in Belize."
And for this family, it's one tragedy after another. Flowers' sister explained that she just wanted to spend the holidays with her loved ones, and now she has to end the year by planning a funeral.
Ann Flowers, Sister of Deceased
"Man, it's wicked, I did not come to Belize for this. I come to Belize to enjoy myself with my family that I have here. Now I have to prepare to bury my brother, I just lost a sister, Sunday on the 1st gonna make one year since she passed away and now I have to bury my brother? And then go back home… I don't understand."
Courtney Menzies:
"When was the last time you spoke to him?"
Ann Flowers, Sister of Deceased
"Truthfully, I did not speak to my brother for a year…"
Courtney Menzies:
"So you didn't make up before he died?"
Ann Flowers, Sister of Deceased
"No ma'am. But I spoke to him when they put him in the truck."
And while they continue to grieve, this family has a message for the gunmen out there:
Sandra Thompson, Cousin of Deceased
"All I want to say to this camera, to all of the gunman, please put down the guns guys, people are getting hurt for their family. Innocent people are getting hurt. Young people try to change your lives and do different things, motivate yourselves. We got kids coming up and we want our kids to get better, you have to stop taking different people to be targets because we got loved ones and we feel hurt when they kill our loved ones. And this thing is just knocking at everyone's door, I would just want all the gunmen put down the guns, do different things in life for 2023."
Flowers was the father of 5. He's been living in Belize for 15 years after leaving the US - and he used to run cruise ship tours in his van.
