2nd murder in 2 days; may be linked to Palacio shooting
Deadly violence in Belize City tends to run in streaks … and if that pattern holds then residents of the old capital should brace themselves. Following Sunday afternoon’s fatal shooting in Cardinez Alley, shots rang out once again last night in Port Loyola. And when the ruction died down one man lay dead and a woman wounded. News Five’s Jacqueline Godwin has the story.
Jacqueline Godwin, Reporting
Twenty-nine year old Mitchum Heredia, Belize City mechanic, was sitting inside his Nissan Maxima when he was shot from close range. Reports are that just after seven on Monday night, Heredia arrived home at number twenty-five T?Street. But as he drove into the yard, two armed young men, who were waiting by a nearby tree, quickly rushed into the compound. It is not certain if there was any exchange of words between Heredia and the gunmen, but sources tell News Five Heredia tried to defend himself with a knife but he was quickly overcome by a hail of bullets that struck him in the head and all over his body.
After Heredia was killed, other residents of the home, including five adults and five children came under attack. The family who sought safety inside their house tried to dodge bullets that bore through the concrete walls, a glass window louver, and a kitchen counter. One of the shots, however, did catch thirty-four year old Alida Leonardo on the left side of her buttocks as she sat in this sofa in the living room. Seventeen year old Kyron Leonardo, who was hiding behind this counter, apparently fell during the commotion and cut his chin on broken glass that were shattered during the incident.
Kenny Moss, Stepfather
?But all them vehicle dah what he was working on you know and to see that this is a holy week?you know what I mean. It is a holy week, people noh di think about the bible no more, to me people do noh have the bible to remember; people di play out here.?
Heredia is believed to have been shot six times. Kenny Moss says he knows that his stepson was no angel, but that following an attempt on his life two years ago Heredia became very wary and tried to stay out of trouble. Sources close to the case tell News Five that Heredia did manage to recognise the gunmen as the same two individuals who were involved in that previous shooting incident in which he received a bullet wound to the face. Today police identified the murder suspects as nineteen year old Emory Felix and twenty-one year old Morris Felix. According to the Head of the Crimes Investigation Branch, A.S.P. Chester Williams, the brothers are no strangers to law enforcement.
A.S.P. Chester Williams, Head, C.I.B.
?If you can recall, Morris Felix and his brother recently got off of a murder and again they are charged again with another murder, so it is a trend with them. So we will see how best we can tie this one down to see that they do not get off on this one.?
At the crime scene police recovered at least thirteen nine-millimetre expended shells. Williams says they do not believe any of the persons inside the house were the intended victims, but their lives were endangered after the gunmen opened fire on another man, Rommel Palacio Junior, who they believe ran inside the building to hide.
A.S.P. Chester Williams
?We do not believe that the persons who reside inside that house where the lady got shot were any intended victim, just that they believe that this person went inside that house and that was the reason why they went and fired shots inside the house.?
The murder is being investigated from all angles including the possibility that the killing was the result of that old misunderstanding. However, police strongly suspect the shooting may be connected to the attempted murder of Aniver Palacio who remains in the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, after being shot in the head and body on Sunday night. Palacio?s injuries, however, are not considered life threatening.
A.S.P. Chester Williams
?We do not believe it is an old beef, but rather something that recently started, evolving from the Aniver Palacio incident. And we are looking at that possibility, likewise to see if we can tie it down. We have the belief and we?re almost certain that is the cause of it, but we just need to tie it down more.?
Kenny Moss
?Well I would a want the law do something bout this because this crazy, people?s family di get shortened, this really outta hand to me. It noh have to be my family fi mek I seh they kinda thing deh, but this dah like wah lee rampage thing weh do go on; this noh wah stop.?
Sources tell News Five that the police have received information that Mitchum Heredia was affiliated with Elvis Hamilton aka Viny and Ellsworth Jones aka Tuku who were arrested and charged on Monday for the Palacio shooting. Authorities did not comment on whether Heredia may have been involved in that incident. Jacqueline Godwin for News Five.
The Felix brothers were charged jointly with the murder of Mitchum Heredia and the attempted murder of Kyron Leonardo and Romel Palacio Jr., along with grievous harm and use of deadly means of harm for the wounding of Alida Leonardo. The pair have been remanded to Hattieville Prison until their next hearing on May eleventh.
