Tonight, Belize City doesn't know what to expect once night falls - after gunshots rattled the peace of the city last night.
This comes after Monday's assurances from the acting commissioner Bart Jones that his police would be leading operations, conducting searches and arrests targeting the main players in an escalating gang conflict.
But, it hasn't worked. And last night proof of that was made abruptly clear with two virtually simultaneous massive attacks by one city gang. Jomarie Lanza has the story:
At 8:25 pm last night more than a dozen shots were fired at this home in Pinks Alley. The gunfire came from black heavily tinted car which came off Queen street heading to North Front Street. Witnesses say the car drove past a group of persons sitting on a step and someone from inside the vehicle let off a spray of gunfire injuring 3 and killing one. And while police responded to that scene which was just 500 meters from the country's largest station, less than 5 minutes later, they would be forced to respond to this barrage of gunfire on Police street.
[Sounds of gunfire...]
There were multiple bursts from an automatic weapon firing.223 rounds. They came from inside a black Chevy Equinox which raced down the street hitting one man, 26-year-old Ryan Young Jr., who received a gunshot wound to his body.
It's gang territory and police from the Special Patrol Unit were in the area and set chase immediately pursuing the Equinox. That's when 2 men extended themselves from the back passenger seat of the fleeing vehicle and opened fire on the police mobile hitting it multiple times and causing injuries to the forearm of Corporal Elvis Guzman.
When we were in the area after 9:00 last night and police had the scene locked off, they heard yet another barrage of automatic weapon gunfire and prepared themselves to respond, but no one could say where the gunfire came from.
Patrols in the area were active and plentiful but on Wednesday the gangs had the bigger guns and gun violence ruled the night.
Corporal Guzman was treated and released. We're told the police patrol pickup was shot up and had to be taken in for repairs.
