Last night saw three separate shootings in the city, two of them connected, one of them fatal, but all three rooted and motivated by the complexities of relationships and break-up's. Jomarie Lanza has the account of two hours that had police scrambling across the city...
The first shooting occurred around 8:00 pm on St Thomas Street in the Kings park area during a carnival practice for Mother Nature's Creation. No one was hurt, but many were rattled at the mass event.
Minutes after a second shooting occurred in the vicinity of Raccoon Street, where 23 year old Austin Williams was gunned down on the neighborhood sidewalk at 8:43 pm.
Police say the two events - though on different sides of town - are related:
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"Last night sometime after 8:00pm police received information of shots fired in the area of St Thomas Street that's in the Kings park area of Belize CityiIn the vicinity of where one of these carnival groups were conducting their usual practice. Upon arrival at the location police were given certain information and a scene was established but no one was injured at this time police are looking for one individual in respect to that particular shooting. Subsequent to that about 5 minutes later, police received information of shots fired on Racoon Street extension Belize city again. Upon arrival the lifeless body of a male person was seen. That person exhibited gun gunshot injury and was transported to the KHMH where he was pronounced dead on arrival."
But what exactly made Williams a target? We were told that he had gotten into an altercation with his ex-girlfriend on St Thomas Street, moments before he was shot and killed while walking home.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"The information we gathered so far is that a vehicle passed by and stopped where the deceased was and fired. An occupant came out of the vehicle and fired shots at the deceased causing his fatal injury. At this time police are looking for one individual and we believe that the shooting on St Thomas street and the shooting on Racoon street may be connected and they both emanated from a woman issue. The suspect in these two shootings had an altercation just prior to the first shooting with his ex girlfriend and that led to the first shooting and then subsequent to the second one and the victim of the second shooting is the ex boyfriend of the girl with whom the suspect had the altercation in the St Thomas street area."
And Williams wasn't the only male marked for death on Sunday night. Around 10:20, a gunman in the shadows was also on Cumberbatch street, where 31 year old Oliver Ramirez was shot in the stomach by someone he knew - reportedly the ex boyfriend of his common law wife. Ramirez survived, but remains in critical condition.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"Then sometime after 9:00pm there about Police received information of shots fired on Cumberbatch street in the St Martin's area, and again Police responded to a house where they met a male person suffering from gunshot injuries to the stomach. He reported to the police that he was at home along with his common law wife when the ex boyfriend of the common law came and fired two shots at him. One hitting him in the stomach and the other grazed his head. He was taken to the hospital where he is currently admitted in a critical but stable condition. We are hoping that he is going to make a full recovery. The ex boyfriend of the common law is currently in police custody and we are hoping that charges will be laid against him sometimes soon."
While Ramirez's shooter was detained and remains in police custody, investigators are still in search of the first suspect involved in Sunday's first two shootings.
We did reach out to the band leader Leroy Green for comment, and while we could not reach him, one person at the Mother Nature's Creation headquarters says that there was, in fact, no shooting at the camp. 7News has received reports that a shot was fired into the air at the corner of the street, a few feet from where the band was practicing.
