7 News Belize

Robbery Murdered In Jane Usher Turf
posted (January 5, 2015)
We've been hearing the name Kareem "Robbery" Lopez regularly for the past 8 years, since 2006, for different incidents on the streets.

But tonight, Lopez who is said to be high up in the hierarchy of the George Street Gang, remains at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Morgue after being gunned down and killed on Saturday night at about 10:15 pm.

Police say that he went to buy food on Central American Boulevard and while he was opening the door of his car, a group of young men ambushed him and one of them opened fire riddling his body with bullets.

He died on the spot, the gunmen rode off. Shortly after, a crowd of people, including his family and friends, arrived on the scene around the time that our news team did. Daniel Ortiz has that report:

Daniel Ortiz reporting
The body of 28 year-old Kareem "Robbery" Lopez lay in the middle of the street on Central American Boulevard in the Port Loyola area.

It made for a jarring scene, his life taken away and left on display in the public domain on the freshly concreted street.

Scenes Of Crime personnel placed 17 crime markers and carefully gathered their evidence; All the while, Lopez's family and friends were forced to look on grieving in the darkness, an appearance of distraught behavior in their actions, waiting for the moment when they would be allowed to give full confirmation that it was their loved one who had been executed.

That moment came about an hour or so later when the police allowed them to get past the crime scene tape for a closer view. They went in a big crowd, but only his mother will allowed to get close enough to Lopez's face.

She was relatively contained, but after getting a glimpse of her son, she immediately broke down.

A few minutes later, police finished up with their evidence gathering, and a police mobile was called in to transport Lopez's body to the morgue.

So far, police continue to investigate this case, and today, they shared what they know so far. The main lead is that his long street life caught up with him.

Supt. Hilberto Romero - OC, CIB Belize City
"The deceased was a known person to the police and we have several theories that we are following up on. I cannot say specifically if that is the case, but like I said we have several theories we are following up at this time."

Reporter
"Is it gang related sir?"

Supt. Hilberto Romero - OC, CIB Belize City
"He is a member of a notorious gang and that is one of the theories we are also following up on."

Reporter
"He is a member of the George Street gang. How are you all treating this, considering his reputation? Will you all expect retaliation?"

Supt. Hilberto Romero - OC, CIB Belize City
"Several patrols are out in the city. We have check points. We have our intelligence people working on the ground and the necessary steps are being taken to prevent any further escalation. We have the murder this morning and again, we cannot be everywhere, but the patrols are out there definitely stepping up their work and searches."

Late word to 7news is that Troy Hyde was just charged for the murder of Kareem Lopez. The 27 year old Hyde was shot in that very same area in April of 2014 - and had been going through a long and difficult recovery.

As we noted in the story, the murder happened on Central American Boulevard near its junction with Jane Usher Boulevard - where Lopez had re-situated himself some time ago.

And that change of address is what may have run him into trouble: street sources say that he was trying to expand what is known as "Gaza turf" but he got into conflict with the established gang figures there in the Jane Usher area. We are told police do have a suspect.

Lopez is very well known to Belize City police and has been charged with crimes ranging from drug possession to gun charges, all the way up to murder. He was acquitted in 2010 of that capital offence for the shooting death of Mark Gardiner. Most recently, he was before the courts for the charge of discharging a firearm in public. That arraignment happened on September 19 of last year because police accused him of shooting a gun around the time when the crowds on Marine Parade were leaving after Juveey was finishing up.

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