Youth shot following dispute over a girl

Streetside shootings seem to be the headlines again with one over the weekend and another on Monday evening. Coincidentally both were sparked by disputes over women. The latest incident has left twenty-two year old Mark Derrick Banner in the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital with a bullet wound to the back. Banner was shot around six thirty Monday evening as he made his way to the Novelo’s Bus Terminal. Banner says he knows his attacker and in fact this is not the first time he tried to kill him.

Mark Derrick Banner, Shooting Victim

“The only thing I can say he has it in for me because of a young girl who used to be my girl before she was dealing with him. And after that the young lady and me broke up he ended up with her and one time he gone up to Ladyville and was looking to disrespect the young lady and at the same time the young lady was side of me and he told her that he would knock her and he will do this and do that and I got up and told him that he cannot disrespect the young lady like that. So now when I told him that he walk up into me and stabbed me in my elbow and tell me well he could just hit me with whatever he has and just come back to Belize.”

Banner says although the incident was reported to police, the young man identified as Deshawn Nuñez was never arrested. However, following the attack on Banner yesterday police have launched a manhunt for Nuñez. Banner alleges that Nuñez, in the company of another young man, pulled out a sawed off shot gun and fired at him. Banner said he was walking down Central American Boulevard when he was first approached by the men.

Mark Derrick Banner

“Two of them approach me and one of them told me that he did not like the way I was watching him and things like that. I was behind a car right and I see two of them approach me and when they approach me I play like I was doing something behind the car till when I see two of them come closer and he haul out something from his side and when he haul it out I noticed it was a gun. So I run left them and I take off through Texaco areas and I ran to catch my bus now and when I reached by the side of City Council to go to Novelo’s to catch the bus I see him appear right out there with the gun again. He talk that he did not like the way how I watch him and I must give him respect and then I told him that I have nothing with him and I don’t want him approach me in that kind of a way. Then he haul out the gun again and when he haul out the gun I ran and by the time I run I see like my shoulder just fly front way and blood just started to spray cause he had shot me. I run to the bus terminal they help me and called the police.”

Banner alleges that Nuñez has been threatening him since September. Today the police tell News Five they believe Nuñez is still in the city, knows that he is being sought and it is only a matter of time that he will be in custody.

Up to news time police had still not located Deshawn Nuñez.