Single Shooter Seeks Out Tyrone Neal in Sunday Bloodbath

Tyrone Neal

The murder of Mark Medina was followed by another in the City where three hours later, thirty-four year old Tyrone Neal was gunned down likely for a small quantity of stolen marijuana. Neal, whose rap sheet is a long one for minor offenses, suspected that someone was out to get him. He moved out of his family’s home to a rented room, but in the end, he could not evade death. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports.

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

The unrelenting spate of gun violence, two men left dead in the wake of separate incidents on Sunday alone, continues to afflict families and friends in Belize City.  Shortly after one o’clock that afternoon, while inside a yard at the corners of Kraal Road and Haynes Street, thirty-four-year-old Tyrone Neal would be cut down in a hail of gunfire.

Hilberto Romero

Supt. Hilberto Romero, O.C., C.I.B., Eastern Division

“Police responded to a shooting on Kraal Road.  They found expended shells.  They visited the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where they found Tyrone Neal, thirty-four-years-old, with gunshot wounds to the chest and to the abdomen.  About an hour thereafter he was pronounced dead at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital.”

The senseless murder, the third his grieving mother is coping with, was foretold.  On a previous occasion, Neal told his mother that he feared for his life following an allegation made against him.

Mother of Deceased

Voice of: Mother of Deceased

“Tyrone just tell mi that ih mi di have wahn lee problem wid wahn young man.  Dehn mi di accuse ahn ah something and he said he did not do it.  And afta that ih gaan because ih tell mi seh ih wahn get wahn room.  Ih wahn get wahn room right and I tell ahn okay, so ih tell mi seh “Mom” ih seh, “Em. Ah noh know weh di go ahn but ah feel wahn funny kinda way.”  So I tell ah seh aright, because ih mi di try contact one ah mi sista from outside fi ask ahn fu mek ih help ahn mek ih go weh fi wah lee while.  Go out ah di district or something like that.  So aftawards ih tell me seh, “ah gwein but everything wahn okay.”  And the last I heard from ahn ih tell mi sehe that ih gaan rent wahn room.”

But while Tyrone would rent a room not far away from his family house on Baracat Street, his association with others on Kraal Road, particularly at this residence where numerous crimes, including a 2009 grenade attack, have been committed, was questionable.

Voice of: Mother of Deceased

“Ih lately start to visit round that area.  Ih lately start to go round that area because he is not in gang.  So he lately start to go deh and I neva did know ih staat to go round that area til when ih sih down wid me whole day Friday and ih sehe to me, “Ma’am ah di try, ah di try,” ih sehe, “but ah di go round da area now.”  But ih no di go round fu sayka like gang.  Ih noh di go round fi sayka like gang and then ih tell mi sehe ah just wahn get weh, ah wahn get out ah di city and thing like that.”

Supt. Hilberto Romero

“We have no motive for this shooting.  All we can say is that he has been charged before for what we consider minor crimes such as harm, threatening words and bicycle offenses.  And for that we have one person in custody and we are continuing our investigation.”

Frank & Tyrone Neal

According to the mother, who chose to remain unidentified, her son may have been targeted for the theft of a quantity of marijuana.

Voice of: Mother of Deceased

“Ih tell mi sehe that dehn accuse ahn that somebody sehe that ih stole some weed, quarter pound ah weed.  And he tell me that, ih sehe mom I did not steal di weed, I did not steal di weed because ih haul out some money outta ih pocket and ih sehe sih ah have money.  If I steal da weed ih sehe I would give it back, give back di money.  At da time deh he went to Holy Redeemer Friday night eena leeh fear.”

In March 2013, Tyrone lost an elder sibling to gun violence when Frank Neal was shot and killed as he purchased Johnny Cakes in the vicinity of Glenn and Cairo streets.  Two years later this mother would be burying a third son who perished in similar fashion.

Isani Cayetano

“This is the third son you’ve lost to gun violence.  As a parent, share with us your feeling seeing as though you’re reliving these horrific and tragic incidents over again?”

Voice of: Mother of Deceased

“This really hurt me because di second son, di first one get back mi family.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.