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Tonight, after four gang related murders in 6 days, tensions in Belize City continue to rise.
Now, sources tell us that widespread concerns about escalating gang warfare has the government seriously considering a state of emergency.
And last night might have been the final straw, that's when 38-year-old James Escarpeta was shot off a bike near a very public street - in what is believed to be a random act of wanton violence.
Cherisse Halsall was on the scene and spoke to his mother:
It's been a violent few days in the city and just last night there was another murder here on the corner of West and Orange street.
It saw 38-year-old James Escarpeta killed while running an errand. His family says it's a random killing but his record shows he does have gang affiliations in his past.
Back in 2006 he along with Brandon Tillet were convicted and charged with the murder of Kevin Parks.
And according to Escarpeta's mother he'd been shot before - in 2012, although that time he survived. This time around he wasn't as lucky.
And last night when we met her on the scene. All she could do was lament her son's choice to ride out into the night.
Marigold Escarpeta, Mother Of the Deceased
"The only thing that he does, he goes out and he buys for people and he makes his little money, he doesn't mess with anyone."
"He slept all morning today until around 12:00 he got up after it rained and about like little after 6 or just before 6 when my girlfriend Dawn Flowers, the next lady that he goes out for to called me and said Marigold, she said, my brother Travis just called me and told her how, what is the name of the young man who runs errands for them?, and she said Cojo, and he said well they just shot him."
"Good person the only thing that I know he did "
"He had robbed the gas station there through, em, the drive by Belmopan there that was the last thing he went to prison for but to say shooting people or hurting people, he doesn't do that kind of thing there plus he was a paranoid schizophrenic so I don't know why they would shoot him. He doesn't mess with anybody."
"My heart is pure, I have Angels watching over me, we no fast with people, so the person who did him, he must remeber what he has done because it will come back to him, that is all I got to say."
But it's not just the victim's mother who mourns, his brother, James, a drummer and advocate against violence in Drums not Guns has spent his life modeling positivity for Belize City youths. Still, he was very aware of the possibility that violence could come knocking on his door.
Eugene Escarpeta, Brother Of the Deceased
"Yes, it's just a random killing because he is not gang affiliated or gang related nothing like that he is in no gang, no type of gang, he goes out does errands for people and comes back home."
"It hurt me you know and the way that I felt it was like something I couldn't believe, like why, that is all we could say, why, why him?"
"Everybody knows him as a good person right, he wasn't a bad person the same way we were raised up good, we were raised up by our grandparents right so you know back in the days if you did anything out of the way you know what will happen to you right? So, my brother well, he played a big role in my life, right and the first time he went to prison he was wrongly accused and because of what he went through that flipped him out, you know and ever since he came back out from there, went out came out back, and with this incident that happened and Belmopan at BUCA service station, we know that they set him up to do that, right. So, "
"from when he went back to jail because of that incident and came back out he was released and from ever since was here with us for a whole year and when he came out I said to him brother, you are out here now make sure you stay out you are not going back there and he listened to us, we talked to him everyday. The last place I saw my brother was on my bed yesterday morning before I went to work, they killed him a day after my birthday."
And following James's death James Escarpeta feels he has to leave the city
Eugene Escarpeta, Brother Of the Deceased
"Well, me as the oldest son for my mom left now, I have a feeling, yes not for my fMILY BUT ALSO LIKE FOR ME RIGHT NOW THE LAST like the oldest son left standing up I have to leave the city, I have to go."
"the area we are in you don't have to interfere with anybody here in Belize, it's just the area that you live in so when you are moving around in the city, you have to be careful how you are moving around, you don't just go into an area and walk around you always have to be looking over your shoulder."
"with me going my family will be much safer."
"Well I know justice will get served and I really don't want a war to start but what happens, I will hang low I am leaving and I will relax. I won't try to react to nothing and what not but there are other people out there who will do things and I know they will do it."
So far, no one has been arrested for this murder.
