Belize City Fisherman, Daniel Hughes, is Executed on Boxing Day
Daniel Hughes Sr.
A Belize City fisherman was shot and killed on Wednesday and police strongly suspect that the homicide may have been the result of a longstanding feud between two families. Daniel Hughes Senior is dead and his in-laws say that his murder is not related to the ongoing beef. Earlier this year, however, around mid-March, three women were gunned down on Aloe Vera and Tibruce streets in a bloodbath that saw Hughes’ namesake son as a person of interest. Today, News Five’s Isani Cayetano went looking for answers. Here’s what he found.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
Multiple gunshots rang out on Tibruce Street on Wednesday afternoon, as residents in that corner of Lake Independence were celebrating Boxing Day with friends and family. Daniel Hughes Senior had just left his brother’s house a block or so away and was driving along the narrow stretch when he was ambushed. The extreme violence of action brought to bear on the unsuspecting motorist made it near impossible for him to escape the deadly attack.
Alejandro Cowo
ASP Alejandro Cowo, O.C., C.I.B., Belize City
“Just after four p.m., police visited the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital whereupon arrival they observed the motionless body of a male person who was identified as Daniel Marvin Hughes, a Belizean of Aloe Vera Street suffering from apparent gunshot wounds to the left side of the face and one to the upper right arm.”
According to Hughes’ sister-in-law, Paulette Gibson, the fisherman was not traveling alone when the vehicle came under gunfire.
Paulette Gibson
Paulette Gibson, Sister-in-law of Deceased
“Ih girlfriend was with him and when she called, she told us that they just shot up him. So when we gone out there we meet him, they just put him in the trooper and carrying him. So we don’t know what else from there because his girlfriend was with him. So you know, she knows more or less because we weren’t there so we noh know what else from there.”
Likewise, police are still trying to determine what precipitated this brazen homicide. Hughes was blindsided while driving down a street that is normally teeming with pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
ASP Alejandro Cowo
“Initial police investigation is that Mr. Humes was driving a green in color Ford Ranger pickup on Tibruce Street heading towards the riverside and whilst on Tibruce Street, two male persons came out from an open yard and fired several shots in his direction, whereby he sustained the injuries and damages to the vehicle.”
So why would Hughes be targeted and terminated in such cruel fashion? Family members say they do not know, since majority of his time was spent at sea where he does his fishing.
Paulette Gibson
“He was a tall, nice young man, no problem with nobody, you know, and was humble. [Ih] go da sea every day, come here and hangout, when ih tired a hang out here he goes home to his girlfriend or goes to his other friend that he’s hanging out with or so. That’s all I know about him, I don’t know that he da any trouble man, yo check.”
At the scene of the shooting, police were able to recover key pieces of evidence, including a firearm and spent shells.
ASP Alejandro Cowo
“There were several expended shells found at the scene and also a point nine pistol loaded with a magazine containing eight live rounds of ammunition.”
Hipolito Novelo
“Any official motive as of yet?”
ASP Alejandro Cowo
“What we suspect is the ongoing rivalry at Tibruce Street between two families and we suspect that that might have had, might be the cause of this incident that happened yesterday.”
If that is indeed the motive, then perhaps the bitter feud involving these well-known families has reared its ugly head once again. Back in March, there was a spate of murders in which three women, including Delcia Blanco, Theresita Flowers and Bernadine Lauriano, were killed. Could this be another wave of reprisals in the ongoing vendetta?
ASP Alejandro Cowo
“There are several reports that police have recorded amongst the two families, one is from way back in 2012 when there was a dispute where one of the guys was shot with a spear gun back in 2012. That was involving the two families that we suspect.”
But the family strongly refutes that notion…
Isani Cayetano
“Earlier this year, Daniel Hughes was named, perhaps as a person of interest in a series of shootings that happened here on Aloe Vera and Tibruce streets. Do you believe that perhaps what happened yesterday may be [related]?”
Paulette Gibson
“No, that, no. Not necessarily. And then the bad part is, this, dis da weh I want to say too… They hear shooting but it’s not from this street, it was from the other street because we’re right here in our yard and we hyah di gunshot dehn di buss up on the other street. So when dehn think da this street ya they’re shooting on, it is not this street because we watch the police them come way here, come park here and from there dehn drive go back.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.
