Father Comes to Son’s Rescue and Would-Be Killer is Shot in the Neck
Just before news time on Thursday, shots rang out on Faber’s Road Extension at the residence of Dennis Hislop and his family. An armed man had targeted his son and a friend during which a struggle ensued. The fifty-three-year-old father pulled out his licensed gun and fired a single shot at the gunman, hitting him in the neck. The gunman escaped after firing several shots in the direction of the residence. Police arrived minutes later to process the scene where they recovered three expended nine millimetre shells. Investigators subsequently made checks at the K.H.M.H. and found that Frank Smith, an electrician from Raccoon Street Extension, had been rushed to the emergency room with gunshot injuries. Smith is listed in critical condition. News Five’s Duane Moody went looking for answers on Faber’s Road Extension earlier today.
Frank Smith
Duane Moody, Reporting
Thirty-four-year-old Frank Smith is tonight clinging to life at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital after he was shot in the neck on Thursday evening, on Faber’s Road Extension. Smith is reportedly one of two persons who accosted Dennis Hislop Junior just outside of his house; Kyron Samuels was with Hislop at the time. The two assailants approached on bicycles, before Smith pulled out a firearm and took aim at the duo that was sitting on a step. Hislop and Samuels ran to the rear of the building with a gun-toting Smith in their pursuit.
Voice of: Mother of Dennis Hislop Jr.
“They were approached by a young man and an elder male person armed with a handgun, whilst my son, our neighbour, my brother-in-law and my nephew was standing at the step and the young man came pointed his finger at our neighbour and said, it is him uncle; that’s the one uncle and the uncle went towards our garbage bin and apparently, he had a gun in his bag on the bicycle handle and that’s when he take out of the gun and came pointing it at my son, the young man and the other two persons. My son ran behind the house and hide from him and when he see that the gunman was coming after him and said don’t run from me “Biggs,” don’t run; my son act immediately and jumped him and they were struggling for the gun.”
Hearing the struggle and screams for help outside, fifty-three-year-old Dennis Hislop Senior responded with his licensed nine-millimetre pistol in hand. The older Hislop fired a single shot which caught Smith to the right side of the neck and cheek. Smith then ran away, but not before firing several shots in the Hislop’s direction.
Voice of: Mother of Dennis Hislop Jr.
“My husband then grabbed his licensed gun and went through the backdoor where they were; my son was coming out with the gunman still wrestling. When my son saw his father, he let go of the gunman and that’s when my husband fired a shot at him. And the gunman ran away and while running away he had his gun and was firing shots too.”
The incident is believed to have stemmed from a horse, owned by the Hislops, but which has been stolen several times in the past week and a half. On Thursday, another attempt was made to steal the horse, but the culprits left behind a bicycle which was retrieved by the Faber’s Road family. Smith is said to be the uncle of the person who left the bicycle behind.
Voice of: Mother of Dennis Hislop Jr.
“About five, five-fifteen, there were five young men passing by—one of them on a little white horse and the other four or three were on bicycles to the back. And I think that’s what really transpired and caused the whole issue because one of the young men had run away from his bike and left his bike. And my son took the bike and they had the bike. That’s why he came back and the young man brought his uncle. Yes, it is all over a little horse that my son had bought for his little son, my grandson and he went to one of the villages and brought it to Belize City. They came by last Thursday and they stole the horse and the police came and assist us and found a young man where the horse was. Tuesday evening, the young men passed again on two horses and some on bicycles and they saw where the horse was; it was over on my neighbour’s yard and we were sitting here watching the horse. And these young men are so brave and they came back and stole the horse.”
While the Hislops have since taken possession of the horse, they are now living in fear because the police substation several houses down has been inoperable for months and there are threats that this is not the end of the issue.
Voice of: Mother of Dennis Hislop Jr.
“We are not these kind of people who want people to come here with guns and thing like that. We are not known for these kinds of issues and I don’t like the fact that this is happening because of one little horse. I really want to appeal to the police, please open back our substation here because there is no police there; none whatsoever or do some patrols.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
