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34 year old John Jay Rodriguez, was a well-known, well-loved performer. He has released several hit songs, sang alongside local super stars like Supa G and Mika Evans, and has even appeared in a couple of national music competitions. But tonight all that promised is reduced to just another statistic: he was the victim of the second murder in Dangriga for this year.

Emanuel Pech
"It all started with attempted robbery here at the Havana Club and Entertainment Centre. Reports are that sometime after 11 on Friday, 3 men entered the establishment planning to rob the proprietors. What happened next was the last thing anyone expected."

Sup. Roy Joseph - O. C. Dangriga
"Initial police investigation reveals that Mr. Rodriguez was at the establishment at the time when 3 males entered. One was armed with what appeared to be a handgun and demanded that the cashier opened a door. When the cashier refused, the gun men tried to open the door by kicking on it. When they were unable to, the male that was armed, fired a single shot. This shot hit another male who was in the area at the time and it is believed also that that was the same bullet that ended up causing the fatal injury to Mr. Rodriguez. The scene was processed, the injured individual was taken to the hospital and Mr. Rodriguez's body was later transported to the Morgue."

Reporter
"Sir, to which part of the body was he hit? We understand it was to the face."

Sup. Roy Joseph- O. C. Dangriga
"To the left side of his head."

It was a senseless killing, one that has left the entire culture capital in utter disbelief. But just how close are police to solving this latest homicide? Well it's hard to say because police have yet to detain anyone and are not revealing too much information at this time.

Sup. Roy Joseph - O. C. Dangriga
"This investigation is pretty much in its pupa stage as you are aware. We are following on every lead. So far we have people of interest and we are seeking these individuals, however, no not at this time."

Reporter
"Were there any cameras inside the establishment or around the area that could assist police in this investigation?"

Sup. Roy Joseph - O. C. Dangriga
"Like I said, we are following up and looking at all angles. Like I said again, the investigation is in its pupa stage and I really wouldn't want to venture deep into the investigation, but we are looking from all angles."

But whatever the results of the investigation might be, for 22 year old Victoria Evans, it makes little difference. She and her 1 year old son, must now live with the fact that their beloved John Jay is forever gone.

Victoria Evans- wife
"I never thought that would happen. The people that John Jay had out there, everyone loved him. When I heard that, I said it wasn't true, but we went to the morgue. We saw him laying down on the stretcher in the morgue."

Emanuel Pech
"What sort of emotions were running through your mind at that time?"

Victoria Evans - Wife
"I still didn't believe. I held his hand and I still didn't believe that it really happened and I said to myself "he will come back". My son got up early in the morning and he know his dad's waking hours, he got up and didn't see his dad. The other morning he was crying for his dad."

While his family grieves, the entire music community in the South grieves along just the same, for it cannot be denied, that John Jay had a positive influence in the community as an artist.

Emanuel Pech
"What sort of impact did he have in the music industry in Dangriga?"

Lionel Lyrical Thompson - friend of deceased
"Vibrant, everybody loved John Jay when it comes to the music here in Dangriga and because of that, it just spread from there. Its like wildfire, it just went all over the country of Belize, ended up outside of the country and everybody knows John Jay. Some of my friends call him from the states crying, I just hear it in their voice saying 'why John Jay, are you sure?', and I said 'Of Couse I'm sure, I went to see him, its him'. He had a positive impact on everybody. With everybody he'd just come and show you love and let you know that if you're not doing something which is not the way, he would say 'bro let's try to do it a next way'. He was all about love and everyone knows that about John Jay."

Big Rift- Artist/ Friend of Deceased
"We actually have a lot of songs together, I've performed with John Jay for almost every September celebrations here in Dangriga along with Nuru and Lyrica. It hurts me a lot that it happened to him."

Silas Sabal - Producer/ Friend of Deceased
"On my part here in Sabal Studio it was very hard for me because on the day that John Jay got killed he was supposed to be here and for some reason he didn't come. We had just recorded a song which is called 'Party Tun Up' and that same day I was getting a lot of calls from DJ's, radio stations, promoters telling me that they liked the song. I couldn't wait to tell him the news, but instead I just got a phone call from one of my friends saying he got shot."

"Party Tun Up" the last song he ever recorded has now become an anthem for his fellow Dangriga Musicians.

Reporting for 7 news Emanuel Pech.

John Jay Rodriguez had plans to travel to Jamaica this August to pursue his music career. But his body now lies at the Karl Huesner Memorial Hospital morgue awaiting a post mortem examination. As for the other shooting victim, who was shot through the neck, he remains at the hospital in a stable condition.