Jermaine Padgett Shot and Killed in San Ignacio
Jermaine Padgett
There are two murders to report tonight, both of them in western Belize. The first happened, it is believed, sometime early Saturday morning, on the More Tomorrow road outside of Belmopan. One man was viciously stabbed to death and left in the bushes on the side of the road to be discovered later that morning. The second happened in San Ignacio on Sunday night, when one man, allegedly just in the wrong place at the wrong time, was shot and killed. Mike Rudon has been out west and has those stories. Tonight, we begin with the unfortunate killing of Jermaine Padgett on Sunday.
Mike Rudon, Reporting
It is here, at this residence on Second Street in San Ignacio, that thirty-one year old Jermaine Padgett lost his life. The young man, described as amiable and easy-going by neighbours, was allegedly visiting some friends when death came looking for them, and found him.
Marvin Mark Escalera, Friend of Deceased
“When I get wah call, da mi like nine o’clock this happen, maybe like five minutes to nine, and when they call me, I come down quick, I drive down quick and when I reach dah the spot, I meet doctor out there. I say doctor weh gone on? Ih say boss, wah gunman deh bout yah and fire one shot and “Manini” deh dah the back step, dead pon di ground.”
Escalera is the registered tenant of this property, but allows his son and friends to live there. Four of them were there that night when Jermaine Padgett, known as Manini, came calling to take a drink with them.
Marvin Mark Escalera
Marvin Mark Escalera
“Ih come and ih tell my son loom ya man, unu want drink wah lee wine? And so he say yes man and ih live right pan the next street. Ih gone get the wine and come back but by the way when he di go upstairs, ih done reach by the gate there when the gunman come right by the step yah and fire the first shot. So when they fire the first shot, the other guy that was there along with my son jump through the back window and manage to come through the door when meanwhile the bwai Padgett, mi friend, run through the house and collapse right there. Wa next friend tell me that the gunman chase mi son through this back road all the way by the corner here but the person had a mask on. You could see ih eye, but dehn noh recognize who dah the person. Ih neva manage to catch my son so the gunman come back around and right through this yard ih run and escape.”
Manini jumped out of this back window but fell dead at the bottom of the steps. That’s where Police found him an hour later when they searched the scene. The young man was no saint, but neither was he, by any account, a troublemaker. Everyone we spoke to believes that he was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time, killed by a gunman with a score to settle.
Reymundo Reyes
Inspector Reymundo Reyes, Deputy Commander, Cayo Police
“What we have is that persons residing on that premises had an altercation last week Sunday with some other guys from within San Ignacio and we believe that this is what escalated to causing the said individual to go after the owner of the house or the son of the owner, but unfortunately Mister Padgett was there and he was the one who was fatally wounded. At this moment we have persons who we are questioning, but not detained in respect to the murder—people who were at the residence at the time.”
Marvin Mark Escalera
“I talk to my son, I can’t tell he nothing; he knows more than me. So actually when dehn tell me that wah gunshot gone off ina the yard, I neva come fi see my friend dead; I mi come expecting to see either my son or the next bwai. I noh di tell you no lie—I noh di hide it—I mean if I mi come and see my son dead yah, all I mi wah do dah bury him and that is it. Yo got yo pickney and I noh di take part fi my son and say my son dah wah innocent person. My son I know ih go out there, get drunk, give lotta trouble and many times I talk to ahn and ih noh want listen to me. So I can’t do nothing more than just advise him. But the target dah neva fi di young bwai. The target dah mi fi one ah them bwai; I di tell yo the God’s truth.”
Escalera’s son, and others who were there, are in custody. Police believe they have the motive for the crime, but are trying to get their hands on the killer. Mike Rudon for News Five.
