1 dead and 4 others, including a 4 year old, injured in shooting in Ladyville

While the guns were silent in Belize City on Thursday night, shots were ringing loudly in Ladyville.  At about seven-thirty p.m., five persons were shot in the village. A four year old child was among the wounded, but the man who was killed was shot over a dozen times. News Five’s Duane Moody was the first reporter on the scene.

Duane Moody, Reporting

Up to twenty-one shots were fired on Marage Road in the Milpa Area of Ladyville—another incident that proves the violence has spread even to the rural areas. And in the aftermath of the gun-violence in the rather peaceful community, twenty-one year old Allen Davis lays mortally wounded inside the morgue at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. The shooting occurred sometime around seven-thirty as a group of friends were playing cards in front of this driveway.

Voice of: Jaime Chavarria, Shooting Victim

“Last night bout after seven we di play some card and thing when a white vehicle haul up and let out wah gunman at the corner of the lane and the gunman start to open up shot. The first shot weh di gunman buss, hit my homeboy eena ih head and he drop pan the ground and the second shot ketch me. So when I take off fi run, the gunman come and chase me but ih couldn’t find me cause I stash behind the house. So the gunman come and stand up over my homeboy and empty the gun over my home bwai and kill ahn.”

Voice of: Emily Gabourel, Mother of Shooting Victim

“I was in my house with my grand baby when I heard the shot. My husband said that they stand right up out deh and empty out shot pan he; one gunman. It was two of them and one stayed in the vehicle.”

According to eyewitnesses, a white Toyota corolla car without license plates was seen parked in the neighborhood from earlier that day and just before the shooting occurred, the vehicle drove pass the lane. A gunman then alighted the passenger side and started shooting in the direction of the group. Davis was hit multiple times to the head, chest, private area and legs.  Four other persons including two females, a four year old minor and twenty-four year old Jaime Chavarria was injured in the shooting.

Voice of: Emily Gabourel

“My son hollered gunman. Ih tell everybody un hurry run. My son tell dehn gunman, my son face the person. My son, Jaime Chavarria and a little minor, four years old, Jaylon Neal.”

Duane Moody

“And a girl got shot as well?”

Voice of: Emily Gabourel 

“My daughter-in-law. I noh wah call her name. They got grazed.”

Duane Moody

“Where we they? They were out there as well?”

Voice of: Emily Gabourel 

“She was out there. They was out there playing cards too.  This is the first time something like this happen and it really, really shake me up.”

Monica Bodden, Channel 7

“Your son got shot to which part of the body?”

Voice of: Emily Gabourel 

“Right on his legs right yah so and the bullet come through ih batty.”

But despite being shot as many as eighteen times, according to Chavarria, Davis fought for his life and perished around two a.m. this morning while receiving treatment at the K.H.M.H.

Voice of: Jaime Chavarria

“But he neva dead pan the spot cause when we ker ahn dah hospital he still mi di bleed and he get up eena di vehicle fi ketch back ih breath and ih bawl out; aw [BLEEP]. So when we reach dah hospital and they take ahn out and he still mi di talk and everything Ina the hospital room. They ker ahn eena surgery when the doctor came out and said dehn can’t do nothing more for him because ih get three head shots–bout eighteen shots ih take–all the rest Ina I body and thing. And two o’clock this morning dehn call we and tell we tt ih dead. I neva recognize nobody. All I see was a tall person with dread cap on; neva see the face or nothing like that.”

“Dibo” as he was affectionately known was not a troublemaker and lived only a stone’s throw from where he was shot. He was a nice person and the Chavarrias’ say they don’t know why his life was taken.

Duane Moody

“Why would anyone want to take his life?

Voice of: Emily Gabourel 

“I don’t know because he is not a troublesome person.”

Duane Moody

“Possibly a mistaken identity?”

Voice of: Emily Gabourel 

“I don’t think so. I don’t think so.”

Marion Ali

“Why would anybody want to hurt you and your friend though? Was the any dispute lately between your group or yourself and anybody else?”

Voice of: Jaime Echeverria

“No really so I can’t really say weh gone on. I left confused and shocked cause nothing noh really happen either. Dah just that. We mi just di enjoy fi wi self and that just gone on right deh. This has a major effect n me cause young boy was like my bredda, live with me. Always deh with me and stuff and I really feel it and thing same way too.”

According to Police, this latest murder was not a random shooting incident and that the intended target was Rene Chavarria Junior, who the department says is no stranger to the cops and is also the brother of Jaime Chavarria. Duane Moody for News Five.

As we go into the last weekend of 2012, the murder count for the year now stands at a hundred and forty-three.