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San Ignacio Shooting Murder May Be Drug Turf Related
posted (December 22, 2014)
There was a shooting murder in San Ignacio Town last night, which has left a family grieving before the holidays, and a police officer looking for the gunman.

It happened on 2nd Street, which the residents in the area say, has become very active with drug activity recently. Police have stepped up their patrols on this street, and they passed by the house 10 minutes before the gunman attacked. Still, this shooter managed to ambush his targets, kill a man and get away, all before the police arrived.

Our news team went to San Ignacio to find out more, and Daniel Ortiz reports:

Daniel Ortiz reporting
32 years old Jermaine Pagett took his last breath here at the bottom of the stairs of this house on 2nd Street in San Ignacio Town.

He was in the company of 4 other men, 2 of whom lives at the house when a masked gunman ran up the steps and shot him in the chest. Everyone else ran off trying to escape being shot, but the injury to his chest claimed his life within minutes.

Supt. Dinsdale Thompson - OC, San Ignacio Police
"Sometime last night around 9pm, we got a call that stated certain things pertaining to a shooting that an individual have heard. Upon arrival at the scene what we have found is that in deed what appears to be the lifeless body of Jermaine Pagett at the scene on 2nd Street, San Ignacio Town. Our preliminary investigation at this moment is showing to us that Pagett, along with others were on the verandah when they encountered a gun man who what we are looking at this present moment had .45 caliber weapon with him because we have found a expended shell at the location. Pagett was a long with 3 others seated on the verandah socializing when the gun man went and what appears so far, discharge a single round that hit Pagett to the front of his upper chest area and exited his back."

Marvin Escalera is the tenant on record for the house. His son and his friends have been living there with his permission, where they find the rent money and he delivers it monthly. Checking up on his son, he encountered one of his son's friends shortly after the shooting happened.

Marvin Escalera - First Responder
"I meet Trevor Lamb outside and I ask what went on and he said that a guy came up here and he shot Manini (Jermaine) and that he was on the back stairs already dead. when I reach at the back stairs along with 4-5 police, we manage to see Pagett on his belly lay down and his head turned one sided, but he was already dead."

2nd Street is known for its drug peddling activities, and police believe that the house were Pagett met his end has seen its fair share. The investigators believe at this time that this attack was drug-related.

Supt. Dinsdale Thompson - OC, San Ignacio Police
"The motive that we are looking at this present moment is that it is some drug related. The fine details of that we are still investigating and putting things together to come to a conclusion or come to a closure as to what's the real motive behind it. But we do know that drugs are related to it to a certain degree."

Marvin Escalera disagrees with police and offers another possible motive. He was candid with us about the fact his son and his friends aren't always law abiding citizens, and that they have gotten into disputes in the past which could become deadly.

Marvin Escalera - First Responder
"That hit wasn't for the young man. He was just at the wrong spot at the wrong time because my son and the guy supposed to have a little beef with certain people for a long time and actually they had a feeling that one of these days they will want to come and kill them or shoot them. But those boys will never come to me and say who it is, so I can't pinpoint and say if it's this one or that one - I can't because I would be the last one to know what is happening. Recently, I would say about 9-10 months they had shoot Trevor Lamb. Up to now he still has some steel in him. I come here every day to give my son advise; you don't need any friend, leave those bad crowd, stop mess around because some time those boys go out there and they would drink and get drunk and mess with people."

So, that would mean that Pagett was not the intended target, which matches mostly with the description of his character.

Marvin Escalera - First Responder
"I am sorry for what happened because the young boy was a very nice person with everyone. He is at Salva for almost 4 years; he is not a trouble maker. He is not a person that usually comes to my son house to hang out, but when he is drinking, he would come here to associate himself with a little while. He doesn't hang out long when he comes. the longest would be about 35 minutes and then he would go back home."

Supt. Dinsdale Thompson - OC, San Ignacio Police
"Pagett, as I have stated earlier, that he is no stranger to the police here in San Ignacio. However, he was not a person that was an interest to us at this present moment."

Michael Pagett - Brother of Deceased
"At the moment we are all together, grieving. We didn't expect it, but worse at a time like this - the holidays. He was always a quiet and cool person, he always kept to himself."

To escape the pursuing assailant, one of the men jumped out the window and broke his leg. One of the tenants ran down the street with the gunman chasing after him, gun in hand, but fortunately, he escaped. We're told that the other men managed to flee the house and hide after the shooting. The residents of 2nd Street say that one of the tenants, Trevor Lamb, was shot earlier this year by a gunman who targeted him right in front of the house.

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