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Daniel Ortiz reports:

Daniel Ortiz reporting
Families, friends and supporters of the Augustine Couple joined the rest of the Hopkins Community for a small demonstration in their honor. All 230 persons gathered in one location, and then, they moved to the couple's home, where they had been attacked on Monday evening. There, they said a prayer for Dudley, and held vigil for Josephine.

They then marched around the village, mourning in solidarity. Hopkins is currently in pain for the ordeal that was visited on the couple.

John Rodriguez - Demonstration Participant
"I was second on the scene and I saw him in blood. I was the one who assist in removing him his place of abode to seek medical attention."

Daniel Ortiz
"What were some of the things on the scene which to you made you speechless?"

John Rodriguez - Demonstration Participant
"Gruesome. As an ex-police I have seen such scene, but not as gruesome as that one."

Yvette Montes - Demonstration Participant
"Its hurts me because she and I was close. Like how her husband was sick, she had ask me to give him a little therapy every now and again, so I'm at their house 3 times a week. So we got so close and we became friends. She shared a lot of stuff with me and so its heart wrenching to see that happen. When I heard it I couldn't sleep."

Shanna Taylor - Demonstration Participant
"Mr. Dudley Augustine was actually a former co-worker of ours. He was a part time teacher at Ecumenical Junior College, so for that reason we felt that we had to be out here."

Florence Cayetano - Demonstration Participant
"How could that have happened? These are peaceful people, these are people who we need in our society to continue to build our society."

Juliet Williams - Demonstration Participant
"I am the principal of the school where Miss Josephine worked and I knew her husband. I got to meet them as a couple. This is sickening, its heart wrenching that somebody would do something like this to somebody humble, quite as Josephine and Mr. Augustine. We are at a loss for words why somebody would do something like that."

Howard Melendrez - Demonstration Participant
"Humble persons and it's very sad that innocent people in our country, narrowing down to Hopkins. Who knows, narrowing down to Dangriga, PG or somewhere that it will happen next. We are hoping that this will not be the case."

Felina Casimiro - Demonstration Participant
"They've been my neighbor for like over 5 years. They are a very nice couple, really nice."

The group had only good things to say about these career educators, and the overwhelming reaction to the violence they experienced in this seaside village was shock and disbelief.

Yvette Montes - Demonstration Participant
"I have never seen something like this in Hopkins yet. And knowing that these people are loving people, they are very friendly, they are always at other people funeral and church and they are always present, so they are very nice people. They didn't deserve something like that."

Shanna Taylor - Demonstration Participant
"I was shocked especially in Hopkins."

Florence Cayetano - Demonstration Participant
"I had to ask 3 times and I had to ask 3 different sources to confirm it."

Juliet Williams - Demonstration Participant
"Disbelief and hoping that it wasn't true. I had to get quite a few texts and calls before I could actually believe something like that happen to her in such a peaceful place."

Elizabeth Lathrop - Demonstration Participant
"Absolutely shocked. I still can't believe it. I was just coming home from work going into the crowd and learn of the horrible tragedy."

Howard Melendrez - Demonstration Participant
"In truth it was a shock, it's like electricity passing through. In fact I was on my way from church in Dangriga, from a regular mass when I got the news and since I was driving I had to park to the side and I ask my informant please check and confirm this report before you get back to me and when she confirmed it was hard, very hard."

Shanna Taylor - Demonstration Participant
"This is a piece of paradise, so for something like that to happen here makes you wonder, are you really safe?"

Elizabeth Lathrop - Demonstration Participant
"Living in Hopkins we have the privilege of feeling safe and living with our doors open and not have to worry about a lot of these types of tragedies and so it's just shocking to find it happen right here in our community for what we don't know. It seems absolutely useless."

Daniel Ortiz
"Being so close their home and seeing that they were attacked in the comfort and safety where it is believe that you are most secure. Does that affect you having seen this entire situation unfold?"

Elizabeth Lathrop - Demonstration Participant
"Most definitely, we lock up our house earlier. As evening passed we shut the windows and doors. We don't have that same comfort."

Today, the Belize National Teachers Union released a statement sending their condolences and sympathy to the families of the Augustine Couple, noting their significant contributions to education in the South.

The BNTU also called on the Political Directorate make an intervention to bring down the crime rate around the country.