Taxi man robbed, shot dead
For the family of a Belize City man murdered on Friday night, the death was a double tragedy. News 5’s Jacqueline Woods has the story.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
Thirty-year-old Jimmy Williams was a taxi man for only five months when he was robbed of ten dollars and then shot in the back of the neck.
Linda Young, Common Law Wife
“I always tell him to be careful every time he goes out, be careful who you pick up and where. Every time, everyday I tell him.”
Police say they do not know who shot Williams around ten on Friday night, but before he died he was able to tell his common law wife, Linda Young, what happened to him.
Linda Young
“He picked up two persons, but I don’t know from where. He picked up two persons and carried them at the corner of Neal Pen Road and Faber’s Road and they ordered money from him and he told them that he had none and they took out the gun and shot him in his neck, the back of his neck. That’s when another taxi man took him to the hospital.”
But around six on Saturday morning, Williams passed away at the K.H.M.H. Today, Young believes if her common law husband was treated as an emergency case, he would still be alive. According to Young, she was present throughout the time Williams was at the K.H.M.H. and strongly believes the hospital took too long to take care of him.
Linda Young
“When I reached there, they said that he needed a CAT Scan. I had only one hundred dollars; they told me that I needed five hundred and nine dollars. I asked them if they can take only one hundred dollars from me and then later in the morning–that’s like one o’clock in the morning–so I asked them if they can wait in the morning and I can get the rest. They said no, I need five hundred and nine dollars. So his landlord was with me and he went to the bank and got it so he could take it. They brought it about one-thirty and an hour after that, that’s when they went and take the CAT Scan.”
“When they put him on the table, they held his hands and his head fly backway, and that is when he hollered he feel the rush of the blood went in his head. After that the doctor was talking to him and ask him what is his name. He said, “Jimmy”. And they asked him again, and he replied, “Jimmy”. And they asked him to spell it and he spelt it. They asked him what is his sir name and he told them. Then they came to me and said he doesn’t need an operation to take out the bullet, he will be fine with the bullet in his head and that he only need medication to get better. That is what they told me. And when they took him to the room they said that they would take him upstairs to pump out the blood, and they didn’t carry him to pump out the blood.”
Jacqueline Woods
“When did Jimmy die?”
Linda Young
“Six o’clock Saturday morning.”
Jacqueline Woods
“What you think could have been done to safe Jimmy’s life? Do you think that he didn’t receive the emergency…”
Linda Young
“No, he didn’t receive it. When they took him upstairs, he started with a kind of hard breathing… and I asked the nurse is that normal? She said she was trying to wake him up, but he never replied and that’s when she said, he went like that, that he was angry. But I asked her why is he breathing like that again, I asked her again, she said she don’t know. So one hour after that she went and hail another nurse and that’s when the other nurse hail the doctor. And that was when they started putting all kinds of things on him, when it was too late. When they start pumping out blood and thing, when it was too late.”
Young says she plans to lodge a complaint with the hospital authorities. Meanwhile, the police say they do not know who shot Williams and have no one detained for the crime. Jacqueline Woods for News 5.
Following our interview with Linda Young we contacted the K.H.M.H. According to hospital authorities, they have not yet been approached by Young about the incident and were not aware of any problem with Jimmy Williams’ care. The K.H.M.H. Chief of Staff says they will investigate to see exactly what occurred.
