One teen is dead and another remains hospitalized following a shooting that occurred in Gardenia Village last night. It's shocking because the village only has 500 residents and the victim is 15 years old.
We spoke to both families today and they are still shaken up at the fact that a gunman easily slipped into their village and harmed their loved ones. Jomarie Lanza has this story.
It was just after 7:00 when the Armstrong family was preparing to sit-down for a meal together, when they sent out their 15 year old son Rackeem Armstrong to purchase a Coke. Rackeem came here, where his other family members were socializing along with his older cousin 18 year old Justin Young. And then this took a turn in the blink of an eye. There were gunshots and screams, and before everyone knew it both teenage boys were lying on the ground bleeding out.
Voice of: Kris Young, Cousin of Shooting Victim
"We no really see what happened we just saw the two of them fall and then we ran to the location, we really didn't see and then we called the police when we realized they got shot and that was how we escort them to the KHMH."
Rackeem's father was at home clueless. Eventually he realized realized that his son was taking a bit longer than usual to reach home. All it took was one phone call, and their lives were forever changed by the news they received.
Voice of: Father of Deceased (Rackeem Armstrong)
"So we made certain calls to check on him and they said he was there he went to the store and a little bit after that another call came in stating he was shot so I thought it was a joke. Because this is a village we don't expect those kind of things to happen in this environment because everybody here is practically family, but it was real so we tried to move as fast as we could to each down by the store, the store is quarter of a mile from here, and by the time we got there they had already picked them up, and I say them because another young man was shot as well and they had taken them to the Karl Heusner Memorial so we proceeded to go to the KHMH to find out exactly what was going on and when we reached there that's when we got the sad news he had passed away on the way down."
"They took us in to see him and he was in practically a sleeping state he looked like he was sleeping, whatever or whoever did this…..this was uncalled for because he is not a violent child he is not a child that goes around picking on people robbing people or doing anything out of the way he is school, home, he is an honor roll student we just spoke to the principal from the school and she had so many good things to say about him, and there is so many people here in this village that if you question them about him you would find out that he is a good child, he is young he is only 15 years old, this week coming is his birthday."
"And everybody feels this cause he is the baby right and it really hurts it hurts because you have something you watch it grow and then someone comes and chops down you tree that is producing good fruits and it sickens me in the head but then I must remember god is overall and as I put before and I place before on this I am leaving everything in God's hands."
And as the Armstrong family prepares to bury their son, another is praying that their loved one will recover, not only from the injuries but the trauma as well that will follow having lost one of his closest friends.
Reporter
"And your next nephew how is he recovering?"
Voice of: Kris Young, Cousin of Shooting Victim
"Well he got shot in his spine and he went through surgery and everything so we are just hoping for the best that he comes back good and can walk and stuff."
Jo-
"Does he know that he lost his cousin?"
Voice of: Kris Young, Cousin of Shooting Victim
"Well by now im not sure if he knows yet but he knows his cousin was bad. Im not 100% if he has heard that he passed away. Its rough because all the while when we took them down he was asking and asking about his cousins condition but we didn't want him to find out either you understand so I don't know how he will handle it that its his close cousin that passed away. I know it will hurt him and he will cry. They were like brothers."
Once brothers, now victims in a murder - shooting most uncommon in this tiny and peaceful Belize rural village. Tonight, toth families are in deep shock and disbelief.
Voice of: Kris Young, Cousin of Shooting Victim
"Everyone is still shock right now because we didn't expect something to come so close to home in our peaceful Gardenia village because you don't hear things like that happen here this is a peaceful community."
"We are all puzzled right now and we are trying to sort out the situation and hope that all goes well."
