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56 Year Old Killed In Attempted Hit On “Lado”
posted (October 19, 2015)
After a September with no murders in the city's southside, Saturday October 16th saw two killing in just a few hours. The first victim was a case of collateral damage in a street war; a gunman killed 56 year old Edward Robinson when he was going for the notorious Jamil "Lado" Betancourt - who survived. The Robinson family is shattered by the senseless murder. Monica Bodden reports:...

Monica Bodden reporting
Around 7:49 on Saturday morning police responded to this address on North Creek Area on the Southside of Belize City - where they found 56 year old Edward Robinson dead - lying on this concrete verandah.

Wallace Robinson - Brother of Deceased
"He got up and walked out of the house and went across to a house when I heard gunshots. I was ducking, not knowing my brother was dead. They come and tell me that my brother is dead. That is not easy you know. The police didn't want me to go and see my brother."

Robinson was shot multiple times and died almost instantly. According to his brother, he had just left home - just across the street from where he was shot. His brother heard the loud sound of gunshots and came outside after the commotion.

Wallace Robinson - Brother of Deceased
"They kill my brother innocently and he was not the target. I know he was not the target, because he and I was drinking inside the house and he came out without shirt and barefoot. As he came outside, I heard gunshots, not knowing my brother got shot. They came and tell me that my brother got killed. My brother is not a violent man. He go hustle at Fisheries. He doesn't do anything. You could go at Norther Fisherman right now and they will tell you about my brother."

Monica Bodden
"He has any children?"

Wallace Robinson - Brother of Deceased
"No."

Monica Bodden
"You and your brother live alone right?"

Wallace Robinson - Brother of Deceased
"Yes. Sometimes we have people who work in the cayes come and stay couple of days with us."

Monica Bodden
"But normally it's just you two?"

Wallace Robinson - Brother of Deceased
"Yes, only us two."

33 year old Jamil Betancourt was also shot on Saturday morning. He is listed in a critical condition at the KHMH. According to police, Betancourt is believed to have been the intended target for the triggerman. Robinson was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Sr. Supt Chester Williams - Commander, Eastern Division Southside
"On Saturday morning, police received a call of a shooting incident on North Creek. Police responded and upon arrival one Edward Robinson was seen in a motionless state. He was taken to the K.H.M.H. where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Whilst at the K.H.M.H., police received information that there was a second victim from that same shooting, one Jamil Betancourt who is still admitted to the K.H.M.H. in stable condition recovering from gunshot wounds."

Reporter
"We understand that Mr. Betancourt was one of the individual initially targeted, but Mr. Robinson was shot as well. What do police have in that regard?"

Sr. Supt Chester Williams
"From an investigative standpoint, yes it would seem as though Mr. Betancourt was the intended target in that shooting but the shooter who committed the act, I guess he fired shots indiscriminately in the gathering and as a result of that, Mr. Robinson who was in the same vicinity as Mr. Betancourt received the brunt of the shots that were fired and he died while Betancourt survived and is in a stable condition."

"We have in our custody two persons whom we believe are the shooters but again one of the difficulties police have been experiencing in conducting these types of investigations is where persons who are witnesses refuse to give any statement because of being fearful for their lives as the case may be. So while we have general ideas of who the persons are we cannot proceed because of the evidence that we would need to go further with this investigation. The first incident basically was a spur of the moment incident whereby earlier that morning about 10 minutes prior to the shooting Betancourt and the person we believe to be the shooter had an altercation or a misunderstanding. The shooter left and came back and he fired shots and that resulted in the injuries to Betancourt and the death of Mr. Robinson. It was not something that we had known about longstanding, but rather something that just develop and quickly escalated to the state where Mr. Robinson lost his life."

"In relation to the shooting involving the death of Mr. Robinson, we have in our custody two persons. We believe they are the shooters, but again, one of the difficulties police have been experiencing in conducting these type of investigations is where persons who are witnesses refused to give any statement because of being fearful for their lives as the case may be. So while we have a general idea as to who the persons are who are responsible, we cannot proceed any further due to the fact that w do not have the evidence that we would need to be able to proceed any further with the investigation."

And while police believe that they have the triggerman detained, that isn't enough for Robinson older brother and roommate who is struggling to cope with the sudden loss of his younger brother.

Wallace Robinson - Brother of Deceased
"I can't cope with it good. I feel it. He is my youngest brother. He is not so young. He is 56 years old. I can't take it."

Jamil Betancourt was shot to the chest and police said he was in a critical condition at the KHMH.

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