7 News Belize

Hogbone's Street Execution: The Aftermath
posted (April 13, 2011)
Avondale Hogbone Fuller Trumbach was killed 25 hours ago - and tonight the city is still one edge. That's because the 28 year old Trumbach was considered an O.G. of the George Street Gang.

And that's what makes yesterday's broad daylight execution at the fish market one of the most daring crimes on record. Today I went to the area to get a clearer idea of the mass chaos that was created when the bullets started flying:

Monica Bodden Reporting:

Around 4:30 evening - the usually congested Conch Shell Bay fish market -became the scene of a broad daylight executionof a well-known Gorge Street Gangster.

29 year old Avondale Trumback - better known as Hogbone- was at the fish market waiting inside his vehicle for his girlfriend and child- who were buying fish just across the street.

That was when 2 gunmen approached the vehicle and opened fire on Trumbach. According to one witness, one of the men was shooting from in front the vehicle - while the other was shooting from the rear.

This woman was in the area at the time of the shooting and told us off camera what she recalled.

Voice Of: Eyewitness
"Yesterday evening, when we heard the shots starting to ring out we fell into the shop completely. I froze for a minute until they told me to get low. When i got low, we continued to hear shots ring out - like 9 or 10 shots rang out - and after that, when everything was finished, when i heard all the shots finishing, we came outside, and we looked and saw this "dread bwai", he go shot up. He was very bloody, and two men took him the opposite way through the bay."

Trumback was seated inside his maroon 4 door trooper at the time and tried to drive off. But instead he ran into this maroon van that was also parked in front of him-Which in turn caused this lamppost to snap -

Monica Bodden
"At any point did you hear anyone shouting about the gunman?"

Eyewitness
"Well yes, from what I could recall, afterwards when I recalled over what happened, and the situation as it happened, I could recall someone saying, 'Gunman!' but apparently, it looks like the young man, when he heard that, he jumped into his vehicle to take off, but he two people were behind him. So what he did, he drove forward, and ran into the red van. And when he crashed into the van, they men came forward and started to open fire. They shot him up at the front. After that, the next one went to the back, and he shot up the back, and after that they left. We didn't see where they went. We don't know if they came by bike, walking, car; we didn't see."

Bystander
"The crowd was tremendous and anybody could have been hurt; it didn't have to be the young man who was being targeted. I could have been anybody; that was really a senseless act. These young men out here have to realize that there are innocent people out her, and we don't want innocent people to get hurt. If you are targeting somebody, we understand, but out here is a business place, where everybody come and get their fish in the evening to drink their supper."

Trumback was shot to the head. He was rushed to the hospital but died shortly after.In the heat of the moment; everyone was either scrambling for safety or getting low.

Sgt. Fitroy Yearwood, Police Press Officer
"It's just to show that these criminals are doing and accomplishing what they want to accomplish. They chose a place as public as the fish market, knowing that people are trying to get their fish together, and we know that it is Lent. We know that there are a whole lot of factors that we have to look at. We know that a child was almost injured in this incident. I know several people had to jump into the nearby canal. It's a really sad situation."

According to many some people even jumped in the nearby canal - trying to escape the amount of shots being fired. Eyewitnesses say a child was even run over by one of the vehicles.

Eyewitness
"A baby got run over. They vehicle was actually on top of the baby. They had to lift the vehicle up off the baby, like 3 year-old baby. I have a kid; it could have been mine, you understand. So i felt it."

For many - if not everyone- yesterday's evening experience will be one almost impossible to forget.

Bystander
"I want to appeal to the Prime Minister; we are not saying that it's you who are causing this crime and violence in Belize, but we are just asking if you can do something about it. We are appealing to you; we are coming out and asking you to please do something to stop these boys from doing what they are doing. Even if they create more jobs to allow people to have things to do- something - we really need to do something because Belize is really getting terrible. And it's not only one spot; it's not only Southside or George Street; it's everywhere in Belize City, so we are appealing to the Prime Minister to please put aside whatever he is doing, and just attend to this crime and violence happening in Belize because we need to stop. Or else everybody in Belize - I don't know - we will live in fear for the rest of our lives."

According to police it was a gang execution - and there may be violent retaliation:

Sgt. Fitzroy Yearwood
"It's No secret; he is considered to be a member of the George Street Gang, and as we know, Belize City, right now there is a - what I would want to say - a large rivalry against members of that gang."

Jules Vasquez
"Are you all expecting retaliation because it's a member of George Street, which is viewed as the most powerful gang in the City?"

Sgt. Fitzroy Yearwood
"We are expecting retaliation, and we have "beefed up" our patrols to deal with any retaliation or any little hint that we may believe is going to take place in direct response or retaliation to this murder."

So far police have detained one person who is well known to them. In fact, he was most recently remanded for shooting at a police officer. That person is from the Taylor's Alley area and police are seeking one more man from that area. Information to us suggests that while Trumbach is considered a George street O.G., in the past few months he had gone on his own. Information suggests that the execution may have been related to a battle over turf for selling marijuana.

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