7 News Belize

22 Shots from High Power Rifles Fired at Cecil Lewis
posted (April 16, 2010)

There was a broad daylight murder attempt this morning in Belize City. It occurred in the Faber’s Road area where armed men assaulted 43 year old Cecil Lewis with a high powered assault rifle. As Keith Swift found out – they weren’t afraid to shower the area with bullets.

Keith Swift Reporting,
At about 10:30 this morning -the gunmen pulled up on dyke road in this black Mazda Protégé with Texas license plates. They were armed with big guns and almost immediately opened fire on Cecil Lewis who was sitting on his vernadah.

Marie Lewis, Mother of Shooting Victim
“He told me mommy I was sitting on the verandah with another friend and he said that when I look I saw a car pull up and he said shots started to fire and he got up and he run and he saw three guys run out of the vehicle.”

Keith Swift,
“So these three just got out and starting firing?”

Marie Lewis,
“Just got out and started to fire shots at him.”

More than 22 shots were fired – in fact police ran out of markers and had to resort to using these green post it notes to mark the expended shells. Cecil Lewis ran inside the house for cover but as the blood on the veranda and inside the house show, he had been hit.

Marie Lewis,
“He had three shots on his foot, both feet were shot. I stayed by and waited until the doctor came in and the doctor did a x-ray and noticed that one of the bullets stayed inside in one of the foot. I can’t remember if it is the left or the right but there is a bullet lodged in between the knee and the leg part.”

The men fled the scene Рleaving behind the Mazda Prot̩g̩. His mother, the always outspoken Marie Lewis says that of 5 sons, Cecil was the good one.

Marie Lewis,
“That doesn’t interfere with nobody. When he drinks he will only run his little joke but to me what I know Cecil is not a problem make or nothing.”

Delia Lewis, Sister of shooting victim
“I really nuh know. He is a quiet person and he is a home person, he doesn’t go anywhere. He stays home.”

But the gunmen came to kill Cecil Lewis at his home this morning - and it’s not the first time they’ve tried to kill one of Marie Lewis’ sons.

Marie Lewis,
“Keith my husband got shot by gun which is no fault. My son got shot in his head, it was not his fault or nothing and the other son got shot and he didn’t do nothing so I don’t know. When you are in the wrong place at the wrong time, we on the street won’t know when a gunshot will fire after somebody and we will be there to get hurt.

It looks it is birds outside here and out on the street. We don’t have people on the street anymore. They are all deers and animals. Maybe we will have to start to eat people. We will have to eat people, we will have to start to eat people because the guys are treating us like birds and they are protecting the wildlife sanctuary because you cannot kill an animal now and eat and so apparently they are killing people and they don’t space in the burying ground so we will soon have to start eat people. That is my bottom line because we have no protection.”

Police have not issued a formal release on the incident and, as is now customary, we were unable to reach the elusive Police Press Officer.

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