Velasquez is the third man to be murdered in Belize City this week. Since April, murders in the city have been few and far between with many attributing the peace to a gang truce orchestrated by former Southside OC, Chester Williams. Now that three men are dead in just four days, we asked the new Deputy OC, Superintendent Daniel Arzu, what the police are planning to do to end this murder spike...
Supt. Daniel Arzu - Deputy OC, Southside Police
"If you look at our crime fighting strategies, the efforts that we have been putting into keeping the streets safe. If you look at, we have been quiet over a month or even long before. I am talking about since we came in as officers in charge, we have been ensuring that the streets are equip with police officers, if I may use that word. The police officers have strict mandate to be out there to ensure that we reduce crime at all costs and we have been doing that. Our officers are all around, but criminals also find a way to commit crime and this is exactly what happened. It's not that we are having our guards down, we have our patrols effective foot, mobile, motorcycle patrols in place and it is just that opportunities, criminals are seeking opportunities to commit their crime, but definitely we are out there in full force doing what we are required to do in terms of keeping this city safe."
And while Arzu says that the cops' guards are up, there was another shooting in the Antelope Street Extension area this afternoon - that's the same area where last night's murder happened. So far police have confirmed that Ryne Arnold was shot once to the left side of the neck, and Marvin Ramirez, to the right forearm. Both men were transported to the KHMH and are in stable condition.
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