So what can police do to contain this rivalry that has left two dead and one critical since New Year's Day? foreman was shot in an area with heavy police presence, and, on New Year's Day, Leon Garcia was stabbed to death not far from another police checkpoint. In fact, three checkpoints form a kind of cordon around the Victoria Street area. Yet the violence continues. Today police told us what they are doing about it:
Jules Vasquez, reporter
"Now sir would you be able to speak to the checkpoints in that area. There is a triangulation of them. Up the Street on Castle Street and PickStock and then you have another that is on the corner of New Road and Victoria and then you have another on Barrack Road and Victoria. So you have in a half mile radius a very dense area of checkpoints. Yet one murder and one attempted murder have happened within this locus. Is this a concern for you all that no matter how many active patrols or checkpoints you all seem to erect the criminals are able to operate within that with murderous intent?"
ASP Alejandro Cowo, OC-CIB Belize City
"It is of concern of course. Reference to the first murder of Leon Garcia the incident happened close to the Hotchandani's residence. That is where the altercation began and he was pursued until reaching the Retreage Law firm. That is where the actual stabbing happened and subsequently caused his death. We have to be mindful that incident happened from a distance and ended up culminating a distance from the checkpoint. In fact, on that morning the police were dealing with another altercation at the clock by New Road that was happening at the same time this fight took place. It was two different altercations that took place. The police were dealing with one before the murder of Leon Garcia took place."
Jules Vasquez
"Is there anything more the police can do in this area? We know right now that is very hot."
ASP Alejandro Cowo
"Well what the police is doing at this present moment is that there is a heavy presence of Police on the location at the moment searching several houses and places within that area. You can go right now and see the amount of police that are conducting searches in that area."
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