Email

Print

But, as Monica Bodden found out today - only one may have been the target - and the other may just have been in the wrong place, wrong time.

Monica Bodden Reporting

The double murder happened in this dockyard on North Front Street just before 11 last night.

Neighbors say they heard when the gunshots rang out.

The police arrived shortly after and found the body of the body of 35 year old Frank James lying on the side of the street.

He had a gunshot wound to the left side of the abdomen, two to the right calf and one to the left wrist.

James was pronounced dead at approximately 11:15 last night. But while police were processing the crime scene - searching for evidence in the dockyard, they discovered another murder victim's body - 43 year old Robert Young.

Young was found at the back of the dockyard - outside an old shack where he lived. He was shot to the left ear, right side of his head and right side of his neck.

His body was removed just before midnight from the pitch black vacant lot. A pool of blood was visible when we visited the scene this morning.

Raphael Martinez - Police Press Officer
"35 year old Frank James, a Laborer of #2 Pickstock Street, Belize City was seen lying motionless with apparent multiple gunshot wounds to the body namely: the left side of abdomen, right calf and the left wrist. He was pronounced dead at 11:15p.m. Later on Thursday night, police visited the Dockyard on North front Street, Belize City, where they saw 43 year old Robert Young, a Laborer of the same Dockyard, lying motionless with apparent multiple gunshot wounds as well. He had wounds to the left ear, the head, the neck and the right hand. Initial investigations revealed that on the same date, Thursday, the 25th of October, at 10:20 p.m several gunshots were heard on North Front Street, and shortly thereafter, Frank James was found injured, lying on the street. Robert Young was also found lying in the dock yard where he works, also injured. He was transported to the K.H.M.H where he was pronounced dead on arrival at 11:55p.m."

Three 9 millimeter shells were retrieved by police from the scene and so far police are looking for 3 men for questioning.

Today we caught up with Young's younger brother who told us he was at home when he received a call informing him that his brother had just been shot.

Emile Young - Brother of Robert Young
"I was at home with my son. We were asleep and about 11 o'clock. I kinda learn that whenever you get a text or you get a call that late from a family member, something is wrong. I received a call saying my brother got shot, so I start getting ready, ask my son to open the gate and start the truck for me. I got another call back saying that 'Oh, it's not him, it's the other guy, his friend that he was with got shot, and he got grazed.' So they told me not to come down. After talking to my son for a little bit, I got another call again, and the caller said 'Oh yes, it is Robert and he is in the Morgue and he is dead.' I said man, this is like confusing, so I got ready and I went down. And when I got there, a family friend was there already at the Morgue waiting for us, and I went inside. I spoke to the police officers at first, and I went inside, and they asked me if I was the brother. I said 'Yes". They just got some information from me, and I went him and I saw him. And it's weird because it's not the state that you want to see your brother in After seeing him last night with the gunshot wounds, the officer told me that he got shot twice to the head, which was to me cruel, because that's not the way you want any member of your family to die, or anything like that."

Young believes that his brother may not have been the intended target - but rather, may have seen something he wasn't supposed to see. At the time when Robert Young was found, he had a half scraped fish in his hand and a knife in the next.

Emile Young - Brother of Robert Young
"Somebody heard the shots and called the Police. It was about six shots. They called the police. When they got there they found this other guy in front of Zeta, on the street. So they picked him up and took him to the hospital. They did not know that it was two persons who got shot. So apparently when they came back - I think it was when they came back - they went to the back and found my brother, near the house that he lived and from what they told me, it sounded like he wasn't the intended person that they wanted to kill."

Marion Ali - Love News
"But he got shot twice in the head."

Emile Young
"Yes he did. It sounded something like he saw something that that nobody wanted him to talk about, because the Policeman said he had a fish in his hand that was half cleaned, and something like a knife or scraper in the other hand. He was cleaning his fish. And to be honest with you, he's a person where if he saw danger, I don't think he would be standing there cleaning a fish or something like that. He would run or move out of the way or something like that. So it looked like they caught him off guard. I'm think that it's probably that. It's probably that the 2 guys - or the person who did the shooting - had something, and he was there - he was present at the time. And the guy who got shot first, apparently he ran, but he fell on the street. And like I said, the officers said that they found him with a fish in his hand. He was cleaning a fish. I know him, and he's not a person where if he sees danger he's just going to stand there or ask question. He would probably run or defend himself. But apparently, he had no chance to defend himself."

Monica Bodden
"Do you know if the other man who got killed was also a friend of your brother?"

Emile Young
"He must have been. He heard the name, but until I see the face, I'll probably know who he is."

According to Young's community and family, he was not a troubled person - and had no enemies.

Emile Young
"He was a construction worker, and he was a hard worker. He was a type of person where he would work for like two or three days. He would be satisfied with that pay, and then he would relax. He wasn't a person that would keep a steady job, but he was a hustler, he did work and he work hard."

Young leaves behind 2 children.