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Jamie Got Killed By a Gun
posted (March 31, 2015)
When we left you last night, it was with the news flash that Jamie Chavarria had been killed on Berkley Street. Now, this is the same Jamie Chavarria who was shot on February 28th and appeared on the news last week Friday night asking for help to go abroad for surgery on his gunshot-damaged back.

That shooting happened on West Canal between Berkley Street and Rocky Road. Well, last night - one month after he had been shot - he was murdered in an alley off Berkeley Street. It was a death foretold - since there are deadly rivals living just a few dozen feet from each other right inside that very tight tangle of streets in the Albert area of Southside Belize City.

7News was on the scene last night and today Monica Bodden spoke to his family:..

Monica Bodden reporting
A young man was fatally shot last night -through this alley known to area residents as Pandy's Alley - near to Berkeley Street.

The shooting happened around 7:30 and police officers were first on the scene. The entire area was cordoned off by law enforcement officers - Crowd of spectators gathered on East Canal-all stunned at what happened.

As word got out- the victim was quickly identified as 26 year old Jamie Chavarria - a well-known young man from the neighborhood.

Family members and friends of Chavarria had to be consoled on the scene - as they patiently waited on the forensic team to conduct their evidence gathering before his body could be removed

After 2 hours of what seemed to be endless waiting - the body of Jamie Chavarria was placed on a stretcher - put in the pan of a police mobile and then driven away through the crowd.

Today we visited the area where Jamie Chavarria was gunned down. The bloodstains were still visible on the ground and suggested the exact spot where he fell after he was shot. He was found lying face up in these bushes with 2 shots to the head and one to the back.

Supt. Hilberto Romero, O.C., CIB, Eastern Division
"On Monday 30th March, 2015, around 7:10 p.m., police personnel visited an alley off Berkeley Street where they found the motionless body of Jamie Chavarria, twenty-six years with apparent gunshot wounds to the head and to the back. The scene was processed; he was transported to the K.H.M.H. where he was pronounced dead on arrival."

Daniel Ortiz
"What do police know at this time of his actual shooting?"

Supt. Hilberto Romero
"We have our investigators on the ground. They are re-canvassing the area thoroughly. This is a dark alley in that area and the only information is that he was traveling through that alley to go and purchase an item and thereafter 3 gunshots were heard in that immediate area and thereafter his body was found."

Daniel Ortiz
"Does he reside in that area?"

Supt. Hilberto Romero
"Yes. His girlfriend reside in that general area across the canal."

Daniel Ortiz
"Sir, is Mr, Chavarria, someone police suspects have gang affiliation?"

Supt. Hilberto Romero
"He has been shot previously. He had made a statement and no one was charged for that case and again, he was targeted last night."

So far no one has been detained for the murder of Jamie Chavarria nor do police have a motive. Today we sat down with his common-law-wife.

Voice of: Common-Law-Wife
"I was at a neighbor's house when we heard the gunshot and then I told my neighbor to hurry call Jamie, because I have a feeling that it was him and by the time we ran to see what happen, we call the police and the police passed us to check through the alley and then after that when I wanted to go check if it was him, they didn't allow me to see him. They stayed there until after two hours until I could have seen him. When I went to the other line, the police wanted to question me to where he was, like it was him that did the shooting. He left home from in the evening around 4pm and he waited until it got dark, because he wanted to buy some food for him and I to eat and that's when I heard the gunshots,"

In February Chavarria was shot on West Canal between Berkley Street and Rocky Road while exiting his vehicle. 7news spoke to Chavarria after the shooting and he told us he could not recognize his attacker and was still puzzled as to why he was shot.

Voice of: Common-Law-Wife
"Nobody can't feel what I am feeling. Only I know what I feel for him. Only I knows how much I love him. Whatever me and he goes through, he tells me that I am his woman and no other woman can't hold his heart. He even has my name on his neck."

Monica Bodden
"Jamie was in the news and we spoke to him and he had told me that he didn't know what happened, why he got shot just recently. Was he fearful for his life after that?"

Voice of: Common-Law-Wife
"Yes."

Monica Bodden
"So he was mostly at home."

Voice of: Common-Law-Wife
"Most of the time he is with me at home. We don't go anywhere. We send people to go buy for us. I always tell him to stay at home and don't trust that alley, but still, nobody couldn't stop him."

Because of the rivalries in the small neighborhood where Chavarria was killed, police have been engaged in ongoing mediation efforts to try and prevent retaliatory shootings.

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