Was an innocent man killed in a case of mistaken identity ? The family of 37 year old Jermaine Vellos is convinced that's exactly what happened. Vellos was shot and killed last night at his home in the Belama Phase 2 area. It has shaken the entire community because residents say that nothing like that ever happened in that area before. But the family os the most shocked: they say that Vellos certainly didn’t deserve to be executed like this â€" in front of his wife and with his baby girl inside the house. It is a heartless and senseless attack and Courtney Weatherburne has more.  

 

A Christmas visit gone wrong, Jermaine Vellos came from New York to spend the holidays with his wife and 6 month old baby girl.

 

But last night around 8:00, his stay ended in bloodshed.

 

Information is that Vellos and his wife Stephanie Foreman Vellos had just returned to their Maurice Bishop Street house from buying food. They were heading up the stairs when two masked men emerged and shot at Vellos several times. He collapsed on the steps. He later died at the KHMH. His wife was also struck to the right leg and left hand, but survived. Those shots rang out while their baby was inside with other family members.

 

Voice of Resident

"I heard what sounded like pop shots at first it had me kind of stuck. I know the New Years is kind of over when I heard the screaming I looked out across the street and I saw my neighbor being. There were two of them, they had masks so they couldn’t identify them and I assume they went back the same way they came in I didn’t hear a car or anything I didn’t even hear the boat motor and everything happened so quickly."

 

Reports are that the masked men came from the nearby river and pounced on them. But the family says that Vellos wasn’t the intended target. The men had allegedly come to execute Vellos' brother in law who wasn’t there at the time. According to the family, the men called out for the brother in law before they opened fire.

 

Voice of Resident

"She is yelling at them that this is not such and such and they didn’t say anything, they just started firing and about 15 shots probably went off. I think it was a mistaken identity you know."

 

Kareem Myvette - Cousin

"We just asking for justice, if you know what you did, it is the wrong man, just turn yourself in we don’t want no more bloodshed, we don’t want no more violence. 2018 is a new year."

 

And it will be heartbreaking for the family going through 2018 without Vellos â€" a loved one they have only fond memories of.

 

Kareem Myvette

"He is a humble individual everybody knows him, I don’t even think he has an enemy here or in the states. He loves animals, he loves boxing, sports and just life. He is a ‘Ras’ so everybody knows what that means he is about life and uplifting everybody he is around so."

 

Vellos lived and worked in Queens, New York. His family says he has no affiliations with anyone here in Belize City, only probably in Corozal where he grew up. He was leaving for New York tomorrow where he takes care of his ailing mother. Vellos and Foreman just recently got married 2 years ago as you heard, Vellos leaves behind a 6 month old baby girl.

 

As noted in the story - the target was believed to be Vellos’s brother in law - who grew up in the Pink’s Alley area.  The execution is believed to be the result of beef between Pink’s Alley and Victoria Street - whose Leon Garcia was killed on New Year’s Day.