Tonight, police are preparing charges for two men apprehended after a failed robbery - and a Belize City family is getting ready to bury their loved one - who was allegedly killed by the business owner.
Around midday, Leroy Smith was allegedly part of a 3 man robbery crew who went into a business on Freetown road to pull off a robbery. Jomarie Lanza tells us what happened next:
At around 11:40 this morning three robbers stormed into this business near one of the city's busiest intersections on FreeTown Road. It was to be a daring broad daylight robbery but things went wrong when one of the assailants was shot and killed while the robbery was in progress. He ended up leaving in a body bag.
The Commissioner explained the fatal shooting and how cops were quick to arrest his accomplices.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"Police responded to the area where upon arrival they met a male person who had complained to them and they also saw the lifeless body of a male person in a yard with what appeared to be gunshot wounds. Police also responded to the immediate area where they also intercepted a taxi and inside a taxi contained two individuals plus the driver. Those two individuals in the vehicle were identified as Malique Chavez and Leroy Garoy. The person who was found at the scene has been identified as one Leroy Smith. Information suggests is that the three persons had gone to rob this place and in the process the person who occupied the premises relieved the gunman of his weapon and fatally shot him. After that occurred the next two individuals jumped into a taxi and made their good escape but thankfully the quick response of the police they were able to be detained not too far away and a search of them revealed the discovery of a cell phone and a bangles which were items that were stolen during the, well the call was about a robbery in progress but actually it is an aggravated burglary report and so the two individuals are in custody along with the taxi man and police are conducting interviews we believe they will be charged and the person who appeared to be dead was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival and that body now awaits a post Mortem examination."
All three individuals are known to police and are from the Taylor's Alley area. The deceased was also a person of interest in the murder of Gerald Tillet who was shot and killed in May of 2021. And while Smith's body was carted off behind the back of a police mobile, the Compol says the business owner was well within his rights.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"Just that I have to say they can't blame the business man for protecting himself and his family. They have a right to do so."
The Compol says that it is a pattern of crime which spans over decades, Where the father of one of the detained men, Leroy Rhaburn Sr, who was stabbed to death in August of 2009. Now his son, Leroy Garoy has also fallen into a life of crime.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"Well we see that a lot it's a trend the young ones we are dealing with now are the junior to the ones we dealt with 15, 20 years ago that's the trend. Certainly there needs to be more done within the homes as I said before it must start at home and when the home fails it will be sorts to social interventions and when that fails it ends up in the hands of the police so as much as the media and sometimes society tends to blame the police for crime we are not the ones to be blamed. At the end of the day we are the ones at the end of the funnel in terms of when all odds fail and then the person ends up offending then it is the duty of the police to do what needs to be done from a legal standpoint."
The taxi driver who was also involved in the robbery may also be charged for abetment.
We'll tell you when the two alleged robbers and the taxi driver are charged.
