Violent home invasion injures two Dangrigans
Even by Belizean standards, it was a crime of unusual violence and tonight an elderly resident of Dangriga is barely clinging to life. News 5’s Jacqueline Woods spent the day in that southern town and has returned with the following report.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
The bloody pillowcases and sheets tell you just how vicious the attack was on eighty-nine year old Solomon Augustus Pike and thirteen-year-old Daniel Flores. The grandfather and grandson were sleeping when it is believed they were awoken by a loud noise and then they were chopped numerous times with what police believe to be a machete.
Lydia Williams, Aunt
“I don’t see no reason why that should have happened to them because they didn’t do nobody anything. It is so sad that that had to happen.”
The crime occurred sometime between one-thirty and two on Sunday morning when most of the neighbours were already sleeping and did not realize that something had happened to Pike and Flores until it was too late.
Stephen Lourie, Neighbour
“I live exactly behind Mr. Pike’s residence, but it’s a usual routine around here on weekends that the guys who come around from the dance and the discothèque, they would pass by in the neighbourhood and break bottles on the street. I heard a bottle broke, but I did not take it into serious consideration that someone was in the neighbourhood doing something that is illegal.”
Jacqueline Woods
“When did you become aware that something was wrong?”
Stephen Lourie
“When I became aware that something was wrong is when Miss Janet, my neighbour, came cross and told me by the window that someone was in Mr. Pike’s house and has damaged him and he was on the ground unconscious. So I was aware at that moment.”
Jacqueline Woods
“When you went upstairs, what did you see?”
Stephen Lourie
“When I went upstairs I saw Mr. Pike on the ground. So what I did, I touched him on the foot to see if he was alive, because he seemed to me like he was dead. So when I touched him on the foot bottom I heard him groan. So right away I conscious that this is still a living person, so chances are that he could survive whatever incident happened to him. Then on the bed was his grandson, because it seems like both of them were sleeping in that bed, because both of them were in the bedroom. I saw his grandson in his bed with severe wounds as well.”
The victims were transported to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. Daniel, a standard five student of Holy Ghost School, suffered a fractured skull, a broken left wrist, broken teeth as well as other cuts and bruises to his body. Meanwhile, Pike also suffered head injuries and remains on life support.
According to close family friends Adolfo and Lydia Williams, Daniel has been opening his eyes, but he is traumatized.
Lydia Williams
“He said a few words and then he goes back. Then a while ago he said, “Please, no, no. Don’t kill me, don’t kill me.”
Jacqueline Woods
“So he’s remembering the attack.”
Lydia Williams
“He’s remembering. And his grandfather is not doing too well.”
Adolfo Williams, Family Friend
“I would compare Mr. Pike as a person who wouldn’t even kill a fly. But the neighbours know him and I know him very well.”
Jacqueline Woods
“Although the house was ransacked, nothing was taken. This has led authorities to believe their suspects were looking for money.”
Sgt. Pablo Pinkney, Officer Command Dangriga C.I.B.
“Well you know we are doing a very intensive investigation with respect to this thing. These types of crimes are not common here in Dangriga and we’re looking at it very seriously. We’re looking at all avenues, all the leads that we have we are following it up.”
Adolfo Williams
“As a sensible person, knowing Mr. Pike won’t keep large sums of money in his house, he would bank his money.”
Residents say Pike treated his grandson well and the young boy was regarded as someone who could have everything he needed, including money. It is believed that someone took advantage of the situation and possibly questioned Flores, who innocently told someone something that led them to believe that Pike was wealthy.
Adolfo Williams
“They knew the guy, Mr. Pike was a retired person form the U.S. And his grandson had some friends, possibly, he spoke to them and when you talk to bigger people than you, they will ask you questions and you will answer. So perhaps from that conversation, they come to the conclusion that he must have had some money hidden somewhere.”
Jacqueline Woods
“The attack on Solomon Pike and his grandson is considered to be one of the worse crimes to occur in Dangriga. It has left residents in shock and very concerned about their own safety.”
Kathrine Castillo, Concerned resident
“I am very, very sad about what’s happened here, because as it happen to our neighbour here, it could happen to us too. And the thing with this, I am here as a concerned neighbour. We don’t have no patrols, I can’t blame anybody about that, bad people is around, but we have to concern about what happen. B.D.F. camp right across on the main street, I don’t know…very, very confusing.”
Sylvia Norales, Concerned resident
“He is a nice neighbour, a quite man, he don’t give trouble to nobody, he’s a nice man.”
Janet Williams, Concerned resident
“Well you have got to have neighbourhood watch, because if I was close…I don’t sleep hard in the night and if I mi hear anybody holler, “Mr. Pike, Mr. Pike”, I would peep and see at that hour what you want with Mr. Pike at that hour. But maybe everybody noh want cooperate together you understand me, some agree and some noh agree.”
Stephen Lourie
“I am not throwing stones on anyone, I don’t know who do this crime and I am not here to point finger on anyone. But there are deportees from the United States of America who come and bring a lot of violence and crime in this country. What are we doing about this situation? The law need to take control of these people who been deported from America. And if we are not looking forward to these things, then more and more of these same incidents will happen.”
According to Sgt. Pablo Pinkney, the officer in charge of the Dangriga Criminal Investigation Branch, they have one suspect in custody. However, that suspect identified as twenty-four year old Joslyn Coleman, is presently in the K.H.M.H. suffering with a gunshot wound to his right arm he received by police on Tuesday after they went to take him into custody.
Sgt. Pablo Pinkney
“He was wanted by the police here for questioning in respect to that same incident. And there were also matters, which he had pending in court for which he was appearing. There was also a community warrant for him, matters lodged in court against him for which he had not been apprehended. We were looking for him.”
Jacqueline Woods
“And he was shot why, he tried to run away?”
Sgt. Pablo Pinkney
“Exactly, while in the process of the police trying to apprehend him.”
The police are now looking for another suspect. Jacqueline Woods reporting for News 5.
You may be wondering why a major crime committed on the weekend was not reported in the media until Wednesday. Police Press Officer G. Michael Reid explained that due to a heavy workload during Police Week he simply failed to include the report on his daily press release. Reid apologised for the lapse and assured the public that it was an unintentional slip and not the result of any deliberate attempt to hide the crime from the public.
