Murder at the corner of St. Thomas and Dunn Street
carlos quiroz
Two men were murdered in the city on Wednesday night. Carlos Quiroz was shot on the head and face as he sat outside his home on Saint Thomas Street. Three men ambushed Quiroz, who was along with Philip Ramirez. Quiroz has lived with the Ramirez’ for more than a decade and was considered family. He may not have been the intended victim, but it is known that Philip had been threatened before. News Five’s Jose Sanchez reports.
Jose Sanchez, Reprinting
St. Thomas Street, a heavily trafficable area on the north side of town is not known for violence. Nonetheless, thirty-seven year old Carlos Quiroz, who lived at the corner of St. Thomas and Dunn Street, was shot once to the head and once to the cheek as he sat outside his home.
Leonie Ramirez, Friend of Murdered Man
“I hear beng beng and when I hear dat I get up frighten, frighten, frighten so I get up and I start to look fi my baby. So I pick up my baby, run out wid my baby, come out yah and when I peep so I halla fi dehn. I halla Junior, Philip weh unu deh. Unu get shot? Unu dead? So I noh hear nothing so I come out and I peep dah di door, I see the young man deh so, done get shot and ih phone deh pan di ground.”
Jose Sanchez
“There were two of them out there right?”
Leonie Ramirez
“Yes, my son and Carlos Quiroz. He only si dis person walk up and stare pan he and den he realize dah gun. He halla bwai dah weh yoh di do? And when he do dat, right afta dat dehn shoot afta he and he put my bredda police bike front ah he and he run dah back. But ih look like di thing off ah di thing bun a yah, yoh know di lee thing from when ih mussy…”
Jose Sanchez
“He got grazed?”
Leonie Ramirez
“Aha, den ih got wah big from weh ih run. Some part side ah ih batty ih get it and dehn ker ah dah hospital.”
Jose Sanchez
“So he saw the person’s face?”
Leonie Ramirez
“No.”
Jose Sanchez
“But is it someone he knows?”
Leonie Ramirez
“He noh know dah person weh shoot because before the shooting, like weh I seh now all ah we deh out deh den I lef my nephew and my next bredda stepson dah front. So as my nephew gone home, dis next one gone een, yoh yer di gunshot like dah person di watch dehn. Dehn come straight and dehn shoot afta dehn. Dat’s why I shock when I si he dead.”
Quiroz was sitting along Phillip Ramirez. Ramirez’s life has been threatened before on several occasions. Ramirez’s mother, Leonie, says Quiroz was not a blood relative but they treated him like one.
Leonie Ramirez
“He’s not really my son, dah just ih deh wid wi fi so much years so we treat ah like wah brother. Dah noh wah person weh give trouble. He work hard and he noh got like friends. He only go to my husband house, work deh, clean deh, den ih go dah di bar. Only deh I know, only deh I know he go; nowhere else. Well he live wid me from ih bout twenty-four years ih deh wid we up to now. He work wid my husband, he do electrical and AC.”
The morning after, blood stains still sit on the lawn chair that Quiroz occasionally sat on to relax. Leonie’s son has gone into hiding. Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.
Another person was murdered in the old capital and we’ll have that report later in the newscast.
I was hoping we could make it through the week without another murder.
As usual, that lead rendered the survivor he survivor blind & confused. Belize does not have a problem on the south side, the violence has infested our entire country.
People continue to die from gun violence in Belize even though the police and soldiers are still armed with M16s and still parading the streets. Though they are still there, you eventually stop noticing them; they become part of the same old scenery. like a mobile phone or a battered old bicycle. More lives are lost this week by gun violence and it’s pretty abvious in belize who is the boss.
All the poor countries in the carribbean are suffering from gun violence today, a serious cause of povery, lack of education, an a bad economy. Poor, but still can aford to buy guns for murder. Then it dawn on me- it’s cheap ( a barrel, a pump, a trigger) they can make them if they want to, or guns just don’t cost that much in the gun community.
Belize need to quickly set up a gun court, along with extreme punishment.
Who cares if this man was not the intended target a life is a life.Someone’s Son is dead.A mother is grieving.
ok thats it no more gov if uno no hang the one they wey do this i say that this pm want these murders to go on enough is enough i call pa all belizeans fu march to this pm house and demand this madness stopped catch these murderers and hang them come on belizeans march march lets march to the pm house and demand hanging.
Another youth gone…RIP
Will the murders ever stop? Not safe anymore sitting at home and shooting the breeze with family and freinds. RIP young man, hope they catch the cold blooded murderer.
can’t we have week withoput kill please. mein, it’s a pity people aredying everyday for reason that might be stupid, either wrong target or for a roberry of no sense to kill. Jesus, please help my nation belize, we’re in situation that our ouor gov. can’t either help us or is ignoring us with cries for justice. please Lord open his eyes to see the freedom we’ve lost this past years due to killings and other crimes
It is a real shame that this thing can go on .. people have even more drive and fire because they know they can get away with it … So many do. People living in fear for their lives
mmm whos going to save Little Belize Land of the Free by the Carib sea
Unless we reinstate capital punishment and publicly hang a few of these convicted murderers this madness will not stop, if they dont want to hang then the government need to introduce a law whereby the hand that is used to commit the murder be amputated.
It’s land of the crooked Politicians and criminals now.
The song was …. “LAND OF THE GODS by THE CARIB SEA……”,
Take GOD OUT THE PICTURE AND see what we have left?????
I no think these murders will stop they are becoming common, betta neighborshoods device ways fu work together and know who is who and tell the children or move out, or cooperate with police but self justice will not solve it once a person kills it is hard for them to stop (my opinion), esp if he get money or a high.