Ride by murder of 18 year old on Dolphin Street
Steven Perez
The second murder claimed the life of another teenager on Sunday night who may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. A gunman on a bicycle was on Dolphin Street when he opened fire indiscriminately, hitting eighteen year old Steven Perez several times. Perez was injured and transported to the KHMH where he soon succumbed to his injuries. Police say information suggests that Perez wasn’t the intended target. News Five Andrea Polanco reports.
Andrea Polanco, Reporting
Less than twenty four hours after the weekend’s first murder, eighteen year old Steven Perez was gunned down execution style on Dolphin Street around eight-thirty last night. The St. John’s Junior College Student was on his bicycle along the side-walk when the gun-man riddled him with bullets.
Voice of: Marsha Smith, Took the deceased to the hospital
“I hear ‘bang’ and when I hear ‘bang’ now I say dat dah mih wah dynamite because I nuh mih expect it.”
Andrea Polanco
“But dah wah mi wah gun shot?”
Voice of: Marsha Smith
“Yea dah mih wah gun shot but I say dat dah dynamite deh time I stand up deh suh and my niece di glue gun the thing suh fah deh I hear ‘bang, bang, bang, bang’ suh dah when the second bang I tell everybody tek ground and all ah we lay down pahn the ground.”
But as Smith and her family ran for cover, Perez was not so fortunate and approximately six to seven bullets found their mark on him. The blood stains on this gate, along and around the entrance show where he tried to make it inside for help:
Andrea Polanco
“Suh last night when he was shot, what exactly happen?”
Voice of: Marsha Smith
“Well earlier like I say my daughter, he di cuh from chinee he di pass pahn ih bike but my daughter was by the chine same time suh the two ah deh come walk come down so my daughter lef ah by the gate and say mi mek ih come een come put her things down and same time the shots gone off. Look like he mi just get wah text pahn ih phone from ih girlfriend yuh know and ih mi deh pahn ih phone di text and then my baby walk een ah di yard or else my baby mi wah get shot.”
Andrea Polanco
“So he ran into your yard, did he say anything?”
Voice of: Marsha Smith
“Ih run, ih run and all ih seh when ih run to me, ih run to my baby first the same lee gial weh mi di talk to ah but weh she suh frighten and weh she si the blood pahn ah she shub ah and she run outside when she shub like she di tell ah nuh come to me and dah suh ih drop to me and dah suh ih seh ‘Miss Marsh [dats all ih she] help me, help me, unu help me’. Ah seh ‘Steven ah wah help yuh cause ah nuh wah mek yuh dead inna mi yaad Steven, ah nuh wah mek yuh dead yah’ and dah suh miss we could ah mi manage reach ah to the hospital at least deh.”
Perez was taken to the hospital but later succumbed to his injuries. Police Press Officer says they are investigating but don’t believe the bullets were intended for Perez.
Andrea Polanco
“The police been able to determine if there is a connection between the two murders that took place yesterday?
Fitzroy Yearwood, Police Press Officer
“Well Andrea not as yet. We are looking at several angles of these two murders. What I can tell you the recent, the one Steven Perez. We know that his father is employed by the department, he is a driver with the police department and I must extend our condolences to his family on behalf of the minister and the commissioner of the police and this department. It would be unfair for us to say that both shootings are directly linked but at the same time we have to examine whether there is any connection. At this time there is no evidence pointing in that direction to suggest that they are linked.”
Andrea Polanco
“Was he the intended target of that shooting?
Fitzroy Yearwood
“Well after sitting with the family last night and interviewing them myself, I got an understanding that he is not an outgoing street type to have acquired any enemies in this yet his so short life. And we may have we received information that may suggest that he was not the intended target.”
One man is in police custody in connection with Perez’s murder and police are looking for another. Reporting for News Five, I am Andrea Polanco.
Police investigations continue into both murders.
Who gives a F if he wasn’t the intended target.The fact is that another young man is killed as a result of the PM’s inability to send a serious message to the criminal element that the murder of innocent Citizens will not be condoned.
Sad….
what catches my attention is that “he’s employed by the department and he’s a driver for the police department” maybe, maybe this is like a message sent to department or a message to the father who might have a beef with someone else and the son had to pay, nowadays it’s nothing like before man to man but they’ll try to hurt you indirectly to let you know they’re watching you.
WTF! And the blame game continues……..What about the killa’s responsibility to be good, law abiding citizen of Belize?
Another funeral ceremony! Youths dying! This youth would have been able to add to the development of this country! Now he wont be able to bcuz his existence was deleted! Belize is infested with too much murderers and thieves I cant wait 4 the day of Judgement, when the wicked will be removed! Nobody has the right to take another person’s life, but in Belize its seems like it has become a right in urban warfare! Tears run from mine eyes like never ending rivers! This is so sad! Its so sad to see where we are going as a people!
Is there anybody else who believes that our Conviction rate is no longer as high as 7%?
Sad to hear another young dead knowing that he was humble, happy , cool person !!!!!!!!!!!! GOONA MISS U G !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We need to make Chains Illegal on all Bicycles just like Tinting on Vehicles.
How many murder so far in Rat Hole…..i mean belize?
What the hell is going on with this government everyday ppl the dead n they can’t do $#!% to stop it?
today somebody else wah dead cz the government is a joke i feel like go kill somebody myself since unu mek it so blood clat easy fi kill man n i am a law abiding citizen. u s%%t heads need to do something about this mess before a great massacre begins!!!!!!!