The Cold-Blooded Execution of Jason Sutherland

Jason Sutherland

Gun violence in Belize City appears to be on the rise once again, particularly in Port Loyola where two separate shooting incidents have been recorded within a twenty-four-hour period.  On Thursday night, a killer stalked Jason Sutherland outside of his home and waited for an opportunity to open fire on him.  When the moment presented itself there was very little Sutherland could have done to defend himself or ward off his attacker.  The violence of action was sudden and lethal.  News Five’s Isani Cayetano has the following report.

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

Twenty-nine-year-old Jason Sutherland was inside his yard on Central American Boulevard on Thursday night.  Unbeknownst to him, someone was standing at a shop next door, purchasing a cigarette and watching his every move from a distance.  Having surveyed the area, that individual reportedly placed the single roll of tobacco behind his ear, lowered his cap and made his way toward the property.  Upon approaching the yard, he is said to have requested a small quantity of marijuana and then waited until Sutherland was fetching the order of weed before pouncing on him.  At eight-thirty p.m., the sound of multiple gunshots echoed across the neighborhood as Sutherland’s execution was being carried out in the presence of an eyewitness.  News Five understands that Sutherland attempted to flee from his attacker, but was cut down in a spray of bullets.  By the time it all ended the gunman had made good his escape on bicycle and Sutherland had been shot multiple times in the abdomen.  Despite being rushed to the K.H.M.H., Sutherland would not survive the attack.  Tonight, there is no clear motive for the deadly shooting and speculation runs high.  The family believes that he was lured outside by a female who purportedly called and was on the phone with him just prior to the incident.

Interestingly, Sutherland had appeared before Magistrate Michelle Trapp earlier in the day, where he wasted no time pleading guilty to the offense of driving a motor vehicle without third party risk insurance.  He was allegedly caught driving a white Mitsubishi Gallant on Douglas Jones Street and for that traffic infraction also saw his driver’s license revoked. He had been fined one hundred and fifty-five dollars which was to have been defrayed by July first.

A check of our records indicates that Sutherland’s brushes with the law go back to July 2014 when he was caught trying to get rid of a bag of weed.  He was busted by police driving up-stop along West Collet Canal and when he was pursued, attempted to dispose of five grams of marijuana.  In another incident one year later, Sutherland was shot in the left foot while standing on Central American Boulevard and had refused to cooperate in the police investigation. Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.