Erbin Garrido Shot Dead at Home

Erbin Garrido

A soaring number of murders have taken place in the five months of this year, most which have occurred in Belize City.  So far, our archives show a record number of seventy-nine persons killed, making the January to May period bloodier than 2017’s figures when the count stood at fifty-two. On Tuesday night, another murder was recorded in the city.  Erbin Garrido, better known as Bing, was at home when a gunman took his life with a single bullet that penetrated his chest.  But with street patrols everywhere in the city, it did not take long for police to apprehend Anthony Velasquez, who also goes by the surname Bennett. News Five’s Duane Moody reports. 

Duane Moody, Reporting

Murder number seventy-nine took place on Tuesday night in the Set Cite area of Belize City, better known as the Gungulung.  Around eight p.m., thirty-year-old Erbin Garrido was inside his house when he was reportedly shot at close range by a person he knew. That bullet caught him in the chest and he collapsed inside the bathroom of his elevated wooden home. Sister Elisa Chan says she was celebrating her birthday when she got the tragic news. She rushed to the K.H.M.H. to confirm that indeed her brother had been murdered.

Voice of: Elisia Chan, Sister of Deceased

“I left weh part I mi deh and we gone dah the hospital and we meet the mobile there and when I look ina di mobile, I see my bredda eye swell. Well ih wrap up ina wah blanket and I open the blanket and I notify him from a tattoo that he has on ih right hand. And I tell my sister and we burst out and I tell ahn yes dah fi we bredda. Then I move the sheet from ih face and I see that dah he. Ih mi still warm; lee blood mi deh pan ih ears and thing. I only see the gunshot wound weh deh on the left side of ih chest when the doctor come pronounce him dead; that dah when I see the gunshot—one gunshot ina ih chest and I guess that dah weh kill ahn.”

While she mostly spoke with her brother through social media, Chan says that he didn’t complain of having received death threats. But she was troubled about recent posts Garrido made on Facebook.

Voice of: Elisia Chan

“I see like some things weh ih put up on Facebook; ih no normal. So I know that he mi worried and things mi di go wrong fi he, but we couldn’t ah mi help ahn because dah noh that ih no listen, but he dah wah grown man. He believe he should take his responsibility and know what he want ina life. OUThe only problem I mi have with he di last time with police dah mi with drugs/weed. Dah never no gun or he di bruk ina anybody house…I noh know my bredda like that fi go shoot nobody or know that my bredda got wah gun or thing. But dah the friends dehn weh he choose. And I guess that dah weh cause ih death.”

Reports are that Garrido was killed in retaliation of a stabbing incident one week ago.

Chester Williams

Chester Williams, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations)

“From our investigation it is a case where these two gentlemen had a previous misunderstanding and it is alleged that just about seven days ago, Mister Garrido had inflicted stab wounds to Mister Velasquez [Bennett]. Mister Velasquez [Bennett] nonetheless did not report that matter to the police. I guess he might have intended to take his own action and that manifested itself last night and since then, we have been on the case and we believe that we are where we want to be in terms of the evidence against Mister Velasquez [Bennett] and he should be charged by the end of the day today.”

Williams says that the swift response and subsequent detention of the alleged killer is as a result of the area being patrolled by the Special Patrols Unit of the Police Department, which is responsible for the relative quiet in the Saint Martin’s area.

Chester Williams

“Since the incident occurred last night, the police has been very busy trying to see what we can gather in terms of what may have led to the unfortunate death of Mister Garrido. We have since obtained statements from witnesses who have given us their account of what took place and we also have in custody the main suspect who is one Anthony Velasquez [Bennett]. And Anthony Velasquez [Bennett] is expected to be charged by the end of the day today for the murder of Mister Garrido.”

Chan believes that her brother was cheated out of his life and despite the quick detention of his alleged killer, she doesn’t believe that the family will get justice.

Voice of: Elisia Chan

“I noh have no hope ina di police. I believe it is an open and close case. nowadays people noh di talk. Yo barely di find witnesses because people get threatened; they fraid that somebody might come and kill them because ah weh dehn see. So people no talk about dehn things deh. I mean it done happen, we can’t bring ahn back, ih done dead and we have to live with it.”

Garrido, who was a construction worker and the father of four young boys. Duane Moody for News Five.