Three Young Men Shot in Belize City in Separate Incidents

Three young men were shot in separate incidents in Belize City between Thursday night and this morning. The victims have been identified as Shemar Smith, Joseph Leslie and Shane Nolberto. It is not certain if all three incidents are related. Fortunately, all three men are recovering at the hospital. Hipolito Novelo reports.

Hipolito Novelo, Reporting

Three young men were shot hours apart in separate incidents in Belize City. The shooting victim was eighteen-year-old Shemar Smith. At around eight o’clock, Smith was walking on Iguana Street behind the Raccoon Street Police Station when he was targeted. The gunman approached him and fired several times in his direction. Smith ran but was still injured. He remains hospitalized.

Joseph Leslie.

The second shooting victim has been identified as nineteen-year-old Joseph Leslie. He, too, is hospitalized and his mother, Rosa Bonilla expects him to make a full recovery. Leslie was walking home when he was shot around nine o’clock. In fact, he was just a few yards away from his house on Laura Dunn Street in the Antelope Street Extension area when gunmen on a bicycle pounced on him.

Voice of: Rosa Bonilla

Voice of: Rosa Bonilla, Mother of Joseph Leslie

“I was going home at around nine o’clock- I was almost about to arrive home when I heard the gunshots. I ran towards the street and I heard screams and I then saw my son on the ground. I didn’t know it was my son. I heard about nine shots. It was a lot of shot. He is doing well. He is talking. They wanted to kill him.”

Bonilla says that if investigators fail to capture the culprits, they will take it upon themselves to bring those responsible to justice.

Joseph Leslie

Voice of Rosa Bonilla

“He told me that he didn’t see who it was but his friends saw who it was. So, I spoke to the police that if they don’t want to help to find who is responsible then, I am his mother, I will have to do it because my son doesn’t get into problem- they will keep hurting more people. So it’s not right for this to stay like that. The police need to find who was did this because they will keep hurting people.”

Bonilla says that her son has no idea why anyone would want him dead.

Shane Nolberto

The third shooting victim was twenty-seven-year-old Shane Nolberto. It happened earlier this morning at around three o’clock on Baymen Avenue. He was driving his black Geo Prism along with Jervis Matthews and four women when they noticed that they were being followed by a white vehicle. At the bump, the white car sped up to Nolberto and fired several shots before speeding off towards Cinderella Plaza. Nolberto also sped off but he crashed into a house on Kelly Street. He is listed in a stable condition. Reporting for News 5, I am Hipolito Novelo.