When we left you on Friday night, it was with the news that there had been a gang related shooting on the Phillip Goldson highway right in front of a school and in the full flow of Friday evening traffic. The brazen-ness of the crime, combined with the dozens of rounds fired from an automatic weapon sent a shock through the city. Since then there have been retaliations leaving at least half a dozen persons shot and two dead.
For sure, it is a crisis for acting Commissioner of Police Bart Jones. He held a meeting with his commanders in Belmopan today to come up with a plan to contain the gang fueled violence. Jules Vasquez has the story:
Bart Jones, Ag Commissioner of Police
"The last 72 hours or so we have seen a number of shootings and violent crimes in Belize City and other parts of the country."
In 75 hours between Friday afternoon and Sunday night, more than a dozen people were shot in Belize City, two men were murdered, and another was stabbed to death in an act of self defense. It has been a dizzying and terrifying spectacle of violence.
Today, the acting Commissioner of Police tried to restore public confidence:
Bart Jones, Ag Commissioner of Police
"I want to express as well the department's concerns to the many families and Belizeans who may have been or are still shaken by the level of violence that may have occurred within their respective communities."
"This is certainly something that the department cannot countenance and we will put decisive actions to address the situation."
"There would be a series of measures, as I said earlier today, that we were going to put in place, including, intelligence led operations and searches targeting the main players. As I said, we will try to keep the law-abiding citizens' discomfort as much as possible. But there will be checkpoints. There will be, searches and other measures that we're going to put in place."
Three persons were killed in two hours last night - two of them gang related murders - while 5 persons including a 10 year old were shot on Saturday night:
Bart Jones, Ag Commissioner of Police
"So the shooting on, on on the Phillip Goldson Highway. The shooting on, on East Canal and as well the, the shooting at old Belize are appearing to be gang related at this point."
But, among these Friday's shocking shooting in broad daylight on a busy highway stands out:
Bart Jones, Ag Commissioner of Police
"The incident on the northern highway near Horizon School is of major concern. It was on a major thoroughfare at the height of traffic. And so thank God that the level of the level of injuries were not, were minimal. And so that kind of violence near schools, and other educational institutions is certainly, makes it even more alarming."
Sources tell 7News as many as 90 rounds were fired:
Jules Vasquez
"Are you able to say how many expended shells were found on the scene?"
Hilberto Romero, HNCIB
"We know it's over 50 shells."
Jules Vasquez
"We know the target was a gang related figure. It's the second time he has been targeted in broad daylight on a public street on the Northside in the business residential sector. Explain to me what are the events as you all know it that led up to Friday afternoon's attack. How is it that no one was killed and what are you all doing, a) to make arrest, but also to get that automatic rifle? it's a machine gun as it would be called, off the streets."
Bart Jones, Ag Commissioner of Police
"We are not 100% certain that it was a machine gun as you have said, but certainly a large number of rounds were fired in that incident. From our information the taeget may have been in that vehicle and may have been in the vehicle in the previous incident which was also by a school, certainly raised concerns and we have given certain task to our intellegence and gang intervention unit to try and see how we could address that particular in respect to that person."
Reporter
"Could it be that a, a switch was used, which would be, I think worse than a machine gun?"
Bart Jones, Ag Commissioner of Police
"That is the possibility. So it could be a regular Glock pistol with a switch. So I would not be hasty to say it was a machine gun. So they have these devices that can be used on those to make them automatic. And so that is also a possibility."
"But whether it is a regular nine millimeter, or whether machine gun, the issue of it is still, of great concern, never the number of rounds being fired, indiscriminately. The possibility of injuring, innocent persons, certainly is a major concern for us."
