The gang violence that gripped the community yesterday with two murders in 6 hours - continued this morning when another man was killed.
31 year old Kadeem Orozco was targeted while walking home after dropping off his daughter at school, and while he's not known as a gang member, police are almost certain that his murder was gang related. Jomarie Lanza was one of the first on the scene and here's what she gathered.
There was bloodshed on Ebony Street this morning at 8:45, as the relatives of the deceased - who lay sprawled out bleeding in a drain - frantically made their way over to the yellow tape of the crime scene demanding answers from police.
The family consoled one another as they waited, and the only thing they could tell us was that there was nothing their loved one could have done to deserve such a fate.
Douglas Orosco, Father of Deceased
"I am trying to comply with the police right I was trying to comply with the police but this is my right for me to see my son that's my son bredda."
Teresita Orosco, Aunt of Deceased
"My nephew's blood is down there, right his blood is crying out in pain because of what's going on but God is hearing our voice you understand me, God hears our voice."
"He is not a guy who will fight, who will pick up a gun, he would take his own business, going and coming to his life, which is his daughter."
"He takes his daughter to school everyday she goes to St Martin de Porres school, he takes his daughter every morning to school and brings her back safely we do not, we do not pick up guns because we see what happens right, my sister was killed in 1993 Lavern Orozco by Adolf Harris."
It's the third murder in under 36 hours, one that claimed the life of this 31 year old father, Kadeem Orosco. His aunt says that they aren't the only one's grieving loved ones as a result of these acts of violence, and she is calling on the authorities to crack down, and enforce an SOE
Teresita Orozco, Aunt of Deceased
"They were calling for a state of emergency and I think that state of emergency should amp up to a year in prison without parole, I know it won't slow down the crime rate but it will do something to the culprits them, If they lock up the famous gang figures them and the younger minions are out here they will still do the same this will not happen."
"This is too much, this is too much I see a lot of families crying out right now, their loved ones are in the morgue."
"My nephew is lying there in the drain for no apparent reason. What did he do to anybody? He doesn't do anything to nobody, we don't interfere with people."
And even before this morning murder, the police have been heavily mobilising, detaining a number of persons who may be connected to these string of murders:
ACP Hilberto Romero, OC Eastern Division
"We have information that it is gang related."
"We have some information to suggest that it is and that is the reason why we have around 60 persons in custody at this time, we are conducting several operations within the Belize district and we continue to work on the grounds."
"We have certain information we have received so we saw it necessary so these persons can be interviewed in an effort to minimise retaliation as well as to try and solve these murders."
"They are from different gang areas in Belize City."
"We have deployed additional police officers in the city, additional police officers will be coming in sometime later and we also have other intelligence officers coming in to try an establish exactly what is happening so we can minimise the issues of retaliation."
Four persons have been detained.