Teenager Warren Rudon Murdered in Belize City

Warren Rudon

The last murder in Belize City took place on June fourteenth, but that spell was broken on Thursday night when seventeen-year old Warren Rudon was executed on Lovely Lane. The gunman trailed Rudon as he walked towards the area known as Jungle. The teenager was on his way to visit some friends when the gunman approached from the rear and fired the single fatal shot. Today, family members are trying to come to grips with the abrupt end to Rudon’s life and they have no clear motive for his murder.  Hipolito Novelo has the story.

Hipolito Novelo, Reporting

Shot to the head, seventeen-year old Warren Rudon, a Belize City teenager of Oleander Street lay dead on Lovely Lane as early as seven thirty on Thursday night..

Jaslin Jones, Cousin of Murder Victim

Jaslin Jones

 “To be honest we do not know how this gunman came up, all we know he fired shot and my cousin got hit.”

Reporter

“To the head?”

Jaslin Jones

 “Yes.”

Hipolito Novelo

“How many times?”

Jaslin Jones

“We heard one and it scattered through his head and part of his body.”

Reporter

“And he died right there?”

Jaslin Jones

“Yes, on the spot.”

Hipolito Novelo

“Okay so the family believes that he was the target? It wasn’t a case of mistaken identity?”

Jaslin Jones

“He was the target.”

Rudon’s cousin, Jaslin Jones, says the teenager would visit his friends on Lovely Lane on a regular basis. He would normally return home so the news of his murder has left his family and friends in shock, even more so since they are unaware of any reasons why anyone would want him dead.

Jaslin Jones

“He went over Lovely Lane to hang out with friends and that is when the incident happened.”

Hipolito Novelo

“Do you whether or not he had any beef, any problems he spoke of recently?”

Jaslin Jones

“Nothing that we know of.”

Hipolito Novelo

“Did he seem odd during these past few days, anything that might set off some alarm in the family?”

Jaslin Jones

 “No. He seemed juvenile, amiable, generous, caring, humorous, everything. He acted the same.”

At around seven forty, unbeknownst to Rudon, his murderer was on his tail, tracking him and waiting for the right opportunity to strike. The murder happened a few yards away from a police check point.

Hipolito Novelo

“Do you believe that he was being stalked by this shooter, that he was being followed? What does the family believe?

Jaslin Jones

“We do not know anything. All we could say are that the friends he hang with, those are the ones who know the answers.”

Hipolito Novelo

“Has the family spoken with those friends to see what know or what may have cause this shooting?”

Jaslin Jones

 “Nobody say nothing as yet. Nobody reached out to nobody as yet.”

Reporter

“In terms of the friends, are they known to have any gang affiliation or any such thing?”

Jaslin Jones

“Not really. They are just young boys, teenagers who hang out, go to school  and like to have fun and party.”

Rudon is described a jolly fellow with a huge personality but now his family will always wonder why he was killed so callously.

Hipolito Novelo

“Do you believe he was killed because of something he did or said or because of the people he hung out with?”

Jaslin Jones

“To my perspective, I believe it is jealousy. Friend who you hang with, they don’t like that friend. If you can’t catch harry, you catch his shirt.”

Hipolito Novelo

“To the shooter, do you have anything to say?”

Jaslin Jones

“I have nothing to tell him. Nothing at all.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Hipolito Novelo.