7 News Belize

One Weekend, Six City Shootings
posted (May 7, 2012)
There were no murders recorded this weekend in Belize City - but that is more luck than anything else - because six men were shot. The gunplay started on Friday night around 9:00 pm when there were two - almost simultaneous - shootings in different parts of the city.

Just before 9:00, a gunman on bicycle rode past a Game Shop on Bocotora Street and opened fire, hitting three men. 25 year old Glenford Young, was shot to the leg and groin area, 22 year old Kyle Domingo was shot to the foot, and 34 year old Lloyd Bowen was shot to the left arm. Young was the most seriously injured and is in stable condition - the others have been released. Police have a known suspect - but have not arrested that person yet.

And then five minutes later, shots rang out a few blocks away on Euphrates Avenue. 27 year old Honduran labourer Edwin Mejia was walking home when a man on bike rode past and fired several shots in his direction. Mejia has been treated and released. He was hit to the left hand.

The violence continued on Saturday at 11:30 in the morning. Two gunmen - coming from opposite directions - rode up to a group of men at the corner of Kut and Fairweather Streets and opened fire.

35 year old Adrian Paredes - known as Beetlejuice was shot to his right foot and inner thigh. Reports are that in the chaos after the shooting, one of the shooters dropped his weapon - which was reportedly picked up by the other group. And then - in the violent weekend's most serious shooting - on Saturday night, 29 year old Frank Vasquez was shot to the face, left shoulder and back. At 10:15 pm, Vasquez was reportedly walking his dog on Neal Pen Road when a man rode up on him and fired several shots. Vasquez is in a stable condition - but ha slost feeling to one of his legs.

This is reportedly the product of a rivalry between men from two different ends of Pen Road. The road is being paved and the men from the Western end of the street have secured jobs - which has angered the men at the Eastern end of the street. Vasquez - who lives at the western end - does not work on the project - but his brother does - thus the retaliation.

According to reports, the men at the Eastern end want the men who live further down their same street to pay when the pass through. Police have the name of a suspect.

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