Police detain two, seek many more
The ghost of gangsters? past is today haunting Belize City. Almost three years to the day after an historic truce was supposed to have stopped the violence, gunshots rang out across the southside. But this was no middle of the night disturbance; it took place in broad daylight directly in front of one of the city’s most crowded primary schools.
According to Head of C.I.B., Assistant Inspector, Simeon Alvarez, they believe the shoot-out was as a result of a drug deal gone bad. Alavrez said when their team arrived on the scene shortly after nine, they searched along the route of the incident, as well as inside the car, where they found a small amount of crack. The police say they believe that there were three men traveling in the car, and as many as seven in the pickup. So far they have in custody only the car’s driver, Wilfred Gordon and his passenger Emerson Arnold, both of a Mopan Street address. While Arnold managed to escape with only a graze to his upper lip, Gordon received a gunshot wound to the right shoulder. He was treated at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital and then released into police custody.
AIP Simeon Alvarez, Head of CIB
“These guys are not, I wouldn’t class them as gangs, they are more involved in the drug sale in the drug sale. Mr. Gordon is presently in our custody pending further questioning in respect of the incident and we are trying to identify the real motive of the shooting that took place.”
Q: “If he is charged what will he be charged with?”
AIP Simeon Alvarez
“At this time the only charged he can be charged for is the drug, the piece of crack that was found in the car. That is the only charged we can have on him at this time.”
Q: “At this point in time Gordon isn’t saying anything?”
AIP Simeon Alvarez
“No, he is denying the true fact of the incident.”
Q: “What is he saying?”
AIP Simeon Alvarez
“He is saying that the shooting is for no apparent reason, that is what he is saying at this time.”
Alvarez says they believe the weapons invalid in the incident were nine millimeter pistol and a sawed off shotgun. Because the police suspect there will be some kind of retaliation, they have stepped security in specific hot spots around the city.
Alvarez said they do have a positive I.D. on one of the individuals in the pickup, but they are not releasing his name as he is still at large. Meanwhile they have still not managed to find the black four wheel drive pickup, most of whose occupants are believed to live in the area of Rocky Road. As for Arnold and Gordon, both have been in police custody before. It is understood that Gordon was deported from the United States some months ago on drug trafficking charges.
