7 News Belize

Second City Killing in 31 Hours
posted (April 10, 2015)
Last night we told you about the murder of Mark Rhamdas on Albert Street West. Well, last night at around 11 o'clock, 31 hours later, there was another shooting in the city, which ended up being fatal. 32 year-old Michael Foreman, aka "Popeye", was in a yard inside the well-known gang territory known as Taylor's Alley. He was hanging out with 2 men when a gunman approached from behind and shot him to the back of his head.

He collapsed, and police were quickly called in to rush him to the KHMH. They put him in the pan of a police mobile - which might not have been optimal for someone with a shot wound to the head - but, still, he clung to life until around 4:30 a.m. when passed away while undergoing treatment.

Foreman's mother is a senior police officer - but he has a long rap sheet.

Today, the commanding officer of the Criminal Investigation Branch in the Eastern Division discussed what police have so far on this murder:

Supt. Hilberto Romero - OC, CIB Eastern Division
"Police personally visited Taylor's Alley where a shooting had occurred. They found one Michael Foreman, with an apparent gunshot wound to the back of the head. He was immediately transported to the KHMH where he is succumbed to his injuries this morning around 4:30AM. Investigations show that he was along with two other persons in that alley and at some point the shot was heard and his body was found."

Reporter
"Was he the intended target in the shooting?"

Supt. Hilberto Romero - OC, CIB Eastern Division
"He had entered that alley with two other persons. The information we have is that he was seated on a bucket and somebody came up to him and shot him. That is the information we have."

Reporter
"Is it believed that he was lured to his death?"

Supt. Hilberto Romero - OC, CIB Eastern Division
"He frequents that area from time to time. When he is in Belize City, that's an area where he hangs out."

Reporter
"So is he a gang member?"

Supt. Hilberto Romero - OC, CIB Eastern Division
"I cannot say if he is, I know that he hangs out in that particular area with other persons known to that area of Taylor's Alley."

Reporter
"But he's known with the police."

Supt. Hilberto Romero - OC, CIB Eastern Division
"Yes, he had been dealt with before by the police correct."

Foreman's mother is second in command at precinct #2, Inspector Robinson and today, we contacted her requesting an interview. She declined, but we have been informed that she was at the hospital with him from the time he arrived until the time he passed away this morning.

Police say that Foreman had recently been released from prison, and from the time he got out, he was laying low in one of the villages in the Stann Creek District before coming to Belize City, where he was killed.

His murder is the third in 10 days. Jamie Chavarria was killed last week Monday on Berkeley Street. Then, Mark Rhamdas was killed on Wednesday, and last night, Foreman was gunned down. Are any of these cases connected? That's what the Superintendent Romero was asked this afternoon, and here's his response:

Supt. Hilberto Romero - OC, CIB Eastern Division
"They are happening one after the other and we are looking at all of them to see whether they are connected or not. We have our investigators and officers working the streets, to see what is happening with these murders."

Police have no suspects for Foreman's murder at this time, and they continue to investigate.

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