Man wounded as bullets fly in alley
The neighbourhood became well-known to Belizeans in December when Lisa Garoy, her baby, and a neighbour were wounded by a spray of bullets that left the young mother paralysed. Today that same area, not far from downtown Belize City, is once again back in the news…for the same reason.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
Twenty-three year old Alvin Cumberbatch lies in the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital suffering from gunshot wounds to his right thigh and buttocks. The shooting is the latest to plague residents of Taylor?s Alley. On Saturday morning, the gunmen described as wearing masks armed with a handgun and automatic weapon, opened fire through the narrow passageway. Bullets made their mark in nearby posts and houses.
Mark Patnett, Area Resident
?When we hear that, all I could have said was, just take cover. So everybody get down and that dah the farthest we could go. Apart from that, hopefully we could move from yah as soon as possible.?
The families who reside in the neighbourhood live like prisoners in their homes. Cumberbatch, who was chased through the alley, was hit just outside a house. This blood stained pavement shows where the victim fell.
Jacqueline Woods
?My concern is of course with the kids. Has this become a way of life for them through Taylor?s Alley? Just how traumatised are the children??
Mark Patnett
?Well at this moment, the children, I wouldn?t say they all traumatised, but I think it shake them up a bit. But not too much, because we deh there fi support them and explain to them what dah the problem; that this weh di happen have nothing to do with us or them. But otherwise than that, they noh cry inna their sleep or have any problem as such.?
Jacqueline Woods
?But they just don?t have the freedom to come outside and play??
Mark Patnett
?Yeah, they don?t have the freedom to come play, because to be honest with you, if my children come out yah and somebody pass and shoot them, that dah wah next matter again.?
Shirley Williams, Area Resident
?Well keep them in the house. I just mek them watch TV. When time fi they play, I ker them over. Playing in this neighbourhood, none at all, none, none at all. The only thing they would do dah go front of the door fi a little while. Normally if I know they deh front ah the door, I call them in, because you noh know when a stray-way bullet wah come. Lucky thing when the bullets mi di fire, all were inside.?
The residents say they heard several gun shots. At the scene, police recovered eight expended shells.
Shirley Williams
?The neighbourhood noh really have no kind of say to weh go on in yah anyhow, because we can?t tell?we can?t chase the bwai them neither, you understand. They come hang through the alley, dah noh like we own, we only the rent. We can?t tell them, well you can?t hang out through the alley and things like that.?
The residents claim the young men who are giving the trouble do not reside in the alley but come to the area to hang out. One elderly resident barely escaped injury as one of the bullets entered the rear wall of her house and exited through the front of the building. While neighbours try to recover from this latest incident, the victim remains in a stable condition at the K.H.M.H.
Belize City police say they have detained two persons in connection with the shooting, but as yet they have no motive for the crime.
