Canalside shooting leaves victim on life support
By Belizean standards, the latest shooting to rock the city was unusual only in the time of its occurrence: seven-thirty this morning. News 5’s Jacqueline Woods reports on the crime and the broader implications of violence for one particular neighbourhood.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
Today, as Kenrick Johnson got ready to celebrate his twenty-fourth birthday, he was gunned down as he stood at this alley just a stones throw away from his house on West Canal Street. A young man described only as wearing a red shirt rode up on a bicycle and fired several shots.
Delma Bradley, Johnson’s Common-Law-Wife
“Next thing I hear four gun shots. When I done hear the gunshot, and gone peep out cause I hear the person holler, “I get shot”, but I think it was my sister because I know I left she at the gate. When I peep out, I see dah he and he seh, “Aye, I get shot, I get shot.” And I see him limping on one foot.”
Johnson was rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where doctors quickly treated him for gunshot wounds to his torso.
Dr. Fidel Cuellar, Accident & Emergency, K.H.M.H.
“On entering he was speaking, he was able to talk. Shortly after, though, no because his blood pressure started going down.”
“Kenrick sustained about three or four gunshot injuries this morning. We are not too sure because we have a couple wounds that look like entrants and a couple that look like exits so we are still not sure. We do know he did received in the abdomen and in the chest area, those are the important ones.”
Because the bullets affected the left lung and the diaphragm, doctors are not sure if Johnson will survive from his injuries. At the scene police recovered four expended nine-millimetre shells, but so far have been unable to capture the suspect. Although word on the street is that the shooting was the result of an ongoing dispute between the young men from Rocky Road and George Street, Police Press Officer G. Michael Reid says the authorities are investigating the incident from all angles.
G. Michael Reid, Police Press Officer
“Whether it’s a group beef or personal beef, for the most part many of these beefs that you see surfacing are between individuals, and you’d be surprised as to how petty the differences are.”
Delma Bradley says she does not know why her common-law-husband was shot only that she is tired of the violence in her neighbourhood.
Delma Bradley
“Because a lot of pickney deh through that alley, and if it take so much pickney to get who they want to get, dah that they wah do. All I want is it to stop because a lot of kids are through there and I know sometimes they don’t catch who they want to catch, dah innocent people who get hurt. “
Eric Savery, Resident
“How can we be the problem when all the shootings take place around here. He get shot around here, how much time you get shot? Six times. Alex O’Brien get shot five times, and the next time he get shot three more times.”
The neighbourhood feud has also affected area residents Eric Savery and Leon Soberanis, who have had their own shares with violence and law enforcement.
Eric Savery
“Everyday people di get shot at out here, people di get shot, people di get killed. What the police force di do? People get shot at out here today, how come they noh come.”
Jacqueline Woods
“But what is the problem?”
Eric Savery
“I don’t know weh dah the problem, I noh know weh dah the problem? I noh have no problem personally, you know.”
Last Thursday, Savery was picked up by police after authorities discovered a nine-millimetre pistol and a point twenty-five pistol hidden in this abandoned lot. Savery was not charged and was later released. But it was not long before the police turned their attention to Soberanis.
Leon Soberanis, Resident
“First dah fi Mr. Savery, now they say dah fi me. Now this man got out a warrant fi me, say he di look for me for two gun weh dah fi me and I noh know what he di talk bout.”
The problem in the Rocky Road area goes back several years, yet it continues despite the presence of a security effort by the police and the Belize Defence Force. Why?
Leon Soberanis
“All we do, we build lone house fi we live inna and we go work. We got fi we job and thing weh we do, we work on ship. And me, I got two pickney that I have to look after and right now I no want them trouble, but same time, them young man and police come round and harass me and I never inna nothing.”
Eric Savery
“We need a little assistance from say the minister or somebody big to come in and say alright, mek we evaluate what is the problem, what dah the real problem because it is obvious there is a problem, you understand me. But nobody seem to trying to help or trying to do nothing about the problems to try and stop anything.”
G. Michael Reid
“Considering what has occurred this morning, we might need to be more vigilant. The patrols were there, but they were in another area because they are trying to cover the entire area.”
“Certainly there needs to be a better method of conflict resolution. And we know that youth for the future movement is big on trying to direct their focus in that direction, but certainly there needs to be done to inform these young people that there are better ways in resolving conflict.”
Dr. Fidel Cuellar
“The frustrating thing is that these are young men and they come in with all these injuries and they don’t realise the problem it causes especially with the family. Right now we are also treating his mom who is very distraught, his wife is here, he has kids. They don’t realize the extent of violence until they are actually here and they are asking will I die or not.”
Reporting for News 5, Jacqueline Woods.
At news time Johnson remained in a very critical condition at the K.H.M.H. According to hospital officials, he is unconscious and cannot breathe on his own.
