Last week we showed you that video that went viral on WhatsApp. A group of young men, believed to be gang affiliates, were seen on camera playing with a loaded handgun carrying an extended clip, loaded with what appeared to be live rounds of ammunition.
Police said they had identified the subjects of the video and intended to charge them for promoting gang activity. Yesterday, the cops escorted two young men to the magistrate court to face criminal charges in connection with that video. They are 18-year-old Iver Domingues Ian Ferguson and a 16-year-old male minor.
They were jointly arraigned today before Magistrate Dennison Mannan on two offenses: one count of producing a video recording that promotes gang activities and one count of being a member of a criminal gang. They were unrepresented, and both pleaded not guilty.
The magistrate pointed out that because of the seriousness of the offenses they were charged with, he could not offer them bail. Therefore, the minor was remanded to the Wagner's Youth Facility, while Ferguson was remanded to the Belize Central Prison. If they have not gotten Supreme Court bail before their next adjournment date, they will be brought back to court on February 28, 2023.
Court reports indicate that these defendants are the first in a group to be charged for that WhatsApp video. Others are expected at court soon.
