City’s southside sees first murder for 2006

Two children are orphans tonight as their father–still in mourning over their mom’s death in a traffic accident–became the year’s third homicide victim. The shooting occurred Tuesday night around nine in Belize City. Today, News Five’s Jacqueline Woods spoke to the family.

Dennis Gladden Sr., Father of the Deceased
?Every time that happen, a lot of killing, killing, killing. Fi what? People get tired ah these things and then you noh get no response, no help with the police slowing everything; they move so slow you, they move slow.?

Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
A blood trail along West, King, and Prince streets marks the route where twenty-five year old Dennis Gladden Junior ran after he was shot in the chest. It is believed that Gladden, better known as ?Ticky?, was trying to make it home to Far West Street, but collapsed and died a block away from his residence. Fifty-six year old Dennis Gladden Senior says he was home, celebrating that his age had just played in the boledo draw when he heard the sound the trouble.

Dennis Gladden
?When I listen, I hear this gunshot. Bang! Hard like that, but my neighbour ovah the other side hail for me, he seh, ?Come see weh happen to Ticky.? So my wife tell me go run round deh go see what happen to ah. I come out hurry and I gone round soh. When I look down deh he fell down inna a yard by Miss Fuller there, right over the other side deh. And look pan ah down deh and I see the shot weh he get. He had a big hole inna his stomach. Couldn?t say nothing, he couldn?t say nothing cause he done dead already.?

The Gladden family strongly believes the murder is the result of an altercation that occurred three weeks ago between young Gladden and an unidentified young man. According to the victim?s father, on December twenty-second the suspect apparently threw a bottle at his son who chased after the assailant, but he got away by jumping off his bicycle. According to Gladden, his son grabbed the bike and knocked it several times, causing the frame to bend. Gladden says he tried to ease the tension, but to no avail

Dennis Gladden
?I picked up the bicycle and put it inna the corner back by the fence. The following day, the guy come back for the bicycle, he and his nephew. Well I get the bicycle and give it to them, try noh mek no kinda fuss and quarrel and things like that. Then they try have a lee hassling between the two ah them and I try part it and I tell them, unu stop the stupidness. I finally get them to stop it; the other guy gone and my son gone inside. But before the guy left, he said like this: he wah kill my son.?

Belize City Police say they have one suspect detained, but would not comment if it is the same person that allegedly made the death threat. Gladden says he does not know why the gunman had problems with his son, only that it was senseless murder.

Dennis Gladden Sr.
?I noh know. Dah so people stay, they hate see it, but you di try survive inna life and they feel like you know… I noh know, me myself feel bad about it right now, but I can?t do nothing about it; the law wah do something about it.?

Gladden leaves behind two very young children. Tragically, the children?s mother, twenty-five year old Primrose Logan, who was eight months pregnant, died in a traffic accident three weeks ago. Jacqueline Woods reporting for News Five.

The family says it was not the first time that Dennis Gladden Junior had been targeted, as in 2002 someone shot him in the face.