Machete wielding thugs invade hospital
The Karl Heusner Memorial is the only public hospital in Belize City that provides a twenty-four hour accident and emergency care. However, it has become increasingly dangerous for those who must provide treatment to the injured, especially over a long holiday weekend. Shortly after three on Sunday morning, two men, Keon Williams and Hugh Thomas, had to be hospitalised after they got into a fight with each other at a club. Both men were stabbed and were at the hospital receiving treatment, but as Williams was being tended to a crowd of young men stormed into the hospital with machetes. Jacqueline Woods Reports.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
Twenty three year Keon “Gamzi” Williams had just gotten his wounds dressed at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital and was being wheeled to the x-ray unit when he was attacked by over a dozen youths.
Dr. Alvaro Rosado, CEO, K.H.M.H.
“The security guard on duty reports that he heard a loud noise outside and the next thing he knows the door was broken down and a crowd of thirteen people, some armed with machetes, just charge into the place and started chasing the young man who was in the chair.”
Williams jumped out of the wheelchair and ran down the hospital’s corridor that took him just outside of the morgue room. However, Williams could not get the door open and he was trapped.
Keon Williams, Stabbing Victim
“I run straight into a dead end, but one of the door was locked with a padlock. One just fire a chop at me di go towards my face and I blocked it. The next one haul a piece of board from in the hospital and whopped me in my face.”
Williams managed to get away and ran into one of wards where the staff helped him to barricade himself in the bathroom. Williams received chop wounds to his back and hands. According to police, Williams was attacked by friends of one Hugh “Angel” Thomas, who allegedly stabbed Williams earlier that night at the Bismarck Club.
Williams says Angel is a friend who attacked him because of a three-year-old traffic accident.
Keon Williams
“I ran into Angel’s fence so I couldn’t knockdown nobody because the brakes gone on me. But nothing never really happen to his fence. So every time he meet me, he drink up a lot of Valium and he just trip you know. Me and he gawn through a little talking, but I just left him to talk and I just roll out. When we were rolling out, he probably followed me and I felt a juk in my back.”
Police say Thomas also received a stab and was hospitalised, but this morning he discharged himself from the K.H.M.H. Dr. Alvaro Rosado, the Chief Executive Officer at the K.H.M.H., says it is not the first time that his staff has been terrorised and that they have asked for police security.
Dr. Alvaro Rosado
“We have a security force that handles internal security. Surely our security force cannot handle the criminals that come from outside. We strongly believe that we need a twenty-four hour police presence here at the hospital.”
Sr. Rosado says because this latest incident has received some media attention, he believes that the hospital will finally get the additional security it needs. Reporting for News 5, Jacqueline Woods.
Police say they have detained five people in connection with the incident at the K.H.M.H. and are still looking for Hugh “Angel” Thomas.
