Well-known Businessman is Shot and Killed inside His Shop in Hattieville
Carlton Wade
We have been reporting on a rash of murders, at least eleven persons have been killed since last Thursday. On Wednesday, hours after Derrick Tracy was gunned down in the city, a businessman was shot and killed in Hattieville. Carlton Wade was inside his shop in the village, when he came under attack by gunmen. He was shot and killed as he bravely tried to protect his two grandchildren in a robbery turned fatal. Before fleeing the scene of the crime, the gunmen robbed Wade of his wallet containing an unknown amount of cash. Quick police work has led to the detention of a minor. Here is that report with Isani Cayetano.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
Shot and killed while trying to protect his grandchildren from a pair of armed thieves, Carlton Wade was savagely done away with inside his small business on Wednesday night. The deadly incident happened shortly before nine o’clock when he came under attack in Hattieville. His common-law wife, Louise Bailey, was asleep on the second floor of the wooden building when she heard what sounded like the report of gunshots.
Louise Bailey
Louise Bailey, Common-law Wife of Deceased
“Between sleep and wake, I heard two things sound like a pop shot. Pow! Pow! But the second one, he called me and he holla out fi me and seh, “Louise” and between sleep and wake I jump up but our house have the step weh go up and then I look down and then when I look down on him I saw a hole in his forehead. He didn’t say anything to me, he just gave me the eye like, “one baby deh ya and one deh deh.” So I looked down, I saw the first baby but I didn’t see the second baby and then I whispered, “Destiny?” and she said, “Granny, ah deh behind ya.” While I tried to get the baby up, the men outside were still shooting, you know, because there was random shooting. Bow! Bow! Bow!”
Wade’s niece, who lives just a stone’s throw away, was heading home when she heard the gunshots.
Shelly Mae Augustine
Shelly Mae Augustine, Niece of Deceased
“I heard bang and then I was walking along with another gentleman and I said, “I wonder weh dat?” But in my mind I thought it was dynamite because the kids in the area, usually they have dynamite. So when I heard the other one again I said, “hmm” but I continued walking. In the split of a second my brother-in-law stopped for me and I got in the vehicle, he drove and I came home. But upon coming home I could see that my uncle’s store is still open. I looked at my watch and I said, “What! Ten to nine.”
Unbeknownst to Shelly Mae Augustine, her uncle had just been shot multiple times during a robbery. Inside the shop, his common-law wife was trying to get the kids to safety. She says that her husband was simply trying to keep the gunmen from entering the building.
Louise Bailey
“He put ih foot towards the door and then di man di push, ih stamp di gate open, come een and then he di push di door and di man di push di door and then di man put een di gun. And then when he sih di gun, he put up ih hand and then I tek di two baby and I gone upstairs and I close the door.”
Wade was left to face his killers who rummaged through his pockets and reportedly made off with a wallet containing an undisclosed sum of money. According to his wife of ten years, they owned several businesses and he was known to keep cash on him.
Louise Bailey
“Yes, he always has a large amount of money on him. He always has a large amount of money.”
His niece recounts responding to the scene moments later.
Shelly Mae Augustine
“When I ran out there, there was already two persons and then his common-law was already in the store. Two of her neighbors were on the outside looking, so I ran and I ran straight towards the counter and I leaned over and that is where I saw his motionless body in a crouching position and I could have noticed that he had a bullet wound to the forehead.”
Hattieville police arrived on the scene sometime thereafter. Here’s what has been shared with the media regarding that incident.
Alejandro Cowo
ASP Alejandro Cowo, O.C., C.I.B., Belize City
“Last night, just before nine p.m., police responded to a shooting incident at seventeen miles on the George Price Highway whereupon arrival at Kite Shop they observed the motionless body of Mr. Carlton Wade, sixty-three-years-old inside of his shop. What police have gathered so far is that Mr. Wade was along with other family members inside of the shop when two young male persons entered the shop and they demanded for him to hand over the cash that he had. Mr. Wade, according to the information that we received, he believed that they were playing and as a result the persons who had the firearm, one of them fired the shots at Mr. Wade, causing his fatal injuries.”
A minor has since been detained in connection with the murder of Carlton Wade. Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.
