There was more bloodshed this afternoon on city streets. 23 year old San Pedro resident Simon Velasquez was gunned down at the corner of Bishop and Plues streets which is known gang turf. He had just come in from the island - and killers didn't waste any time in settling a score between rival drug gangs based between Belize City and San Pedro. There isn't much concrete information at this time but Courtney Weatherburne puts together what we know so far.
A band of police officers blocked off Plues Street this afternoon around 1:30.
After a man was shot and killed at the corner of Bishop and Plues Streets.
The victim has been identified as 23 year old Simon Velasquez.
Unofficial reports say that Velasquez and another man had a struggle and Velasquez got away. But as he was running, the gunman fired at him hitting him in the back.
Velasquez collapsed inside a well-known bike shop on Plues Street.
A woman was seen charging towards the scene
And later on, two officers held her down and eventually
took her away in handcuffs like a hostile suspect.
So there are still a lot of loose ends in this case but the information we know so far is that Velasquez had just returned to the city from San Pedro. He was also reportedly with Paul Jex when he was killed on San Pedro on Tuesday. It is believed that Velasquez's murder is linked to the recent murders on the island - and it is notable that it happened within gang turf in Belize City.
7News has confirmed that Simon Velasquez was released from the custody of San Pedro police just a few hours before he was killed in Belize City. He was being held as a possible suspect in the Paul Jex murder two days ago. Jex was also murdered less than an hour after police released him. But in this Velasquez case, it is even more intriguing because after he was released, he got on a boat to Belize City - and was killed shortly after he arrived here - suggesting that his killers knew his movements.
We should note that Velasquez was an associate of Alfredo Cowo - as both are linked to one of the drug gangs on the island. Paul Jex was considered a rival to this gang.
This is the 12th murder for 2018.
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