Suspect charged in Monday night double murder
Thanks largely to an informal police brokered gang truce, the streets of Belize City have been murder free for the last three weeks … but that tenuous peace was shattered Monday night when a lone gunman entered a house on Poinsettia Street and began shooting. By the time he left, two young men lay dead, and one seriously wounded.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
Eighteen year old Elroy Flowers, twenty-three year old Adrian Espinosa, and twenty-seven year old Michael Gough were all playing a video game inside this living room when a lone unmasked gunman waked through the apartment’s open back door and opened fire on the young men.
Espinosa, who tried to make a run for it, was shot in the head and centre of his back. Flowers, still seated, was hit in the middle of the forehead and back. Gough, who reportedly dropped on the floor and pretended he was dead, received gunshot wounds to the left chest, left ear, right wrist, and left arm. The gunman then ran out of the building and quickly left the area on foot.
Muriel Jones, Elroy Flowers’ Mother
“But I want to know why Elroy and this innocent person. Dem guys just the play the game, because Elroy dead di laugh. You see the smile on his face, you know like when you di play the game and the game sweet yuh and yuh di laugh? Because dah noh like they come from back way and shoot ah, they shoot him front way in his forehead.”
Muriel Jones says she was sleeping on the sofa in her apartment next door when she was awakened by a loud noise and then she saw Gough stumbling towards her front door.
Muriel Jones
“He di come, but he di come and di stagger and the blood just the pour, pour, pour, pour, pour. So I open the door and let him come in and when he come in, the whole ah in here dah lone blood and dah then he tell me that my baby deh down deh, Elroy.”
Flowers and Espinosa died at the scene. Gough remains at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in a critical condition. Police report that they recovered seven spent nine-millimetre shells.
Sources tell News Five that sometime last week the gunman, described as a young man, is the same person who ran through the apartment armed with a weapon asking for the whereabouts of this man, Edwin Flowers, better known as “Drive.” Jones says she is not aware of the incident, but that for some time now her eldest son has been under threat.
Edwin is no stranger to the police and has been arrested for a number of crimes including murder and burglary. Jones is aware that Flowers has been in trouble, but she does not know why someone wants him dead.
Muriel Jones
“So I noh know, because they noh hang out in here, they hang out downstairs inna the next guy’s house, but obvious it could be he they want, but you know if they can’t ketch he they wah ketch ih brother. … “Drive” da everybody target right now, so I guess they must di send a message to ah through Elroy.”
“I just afraid to get involved because the hours I go to work, I afraid, because I noh have no protection out there with me. … So I can’t get involved ina — just have to ride along with whatever programme happens, because maybe it could be me next.”
Jones, who had already lost two other children, now prepares to bury another son. She wonders when the nightmare will end.
Muriel Jones
“I noh know Jackie, because this dah the third one. I done bury two, this wah be di third one. Only one left, Edwin.”
The police have not yet established a motive for the double homicide; however, they have arrested the young man they believe pulled the trigger.
Jamaal Betancourt has been charged with two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, one count of dangerous harm and one count of use of deadly means of harm.
Supt. Chester Williams, O.C., C.I.B., Belize City
“At this time our investigation is still ongoing. We have not arrived at a clear motive, we are still investigating. As soon as we have arrived at a clear motive, the media will be briefed as to the exact motive for this particular incident.”
The police credit a quick response and community participation for the swift arrest.
