Two minors shot in Belize City

Two Belize City youths were shot on Monday night on Kraal Road, and while they will live to see another day, the frequency of teen related crimes has become the subject of our nightly news headlines. On March twenty-sixth, sixteen year old Sharife Smith was murdered and his friend, also sixteen, was arrested on a weapons charge. In another shooting this past Sunday night, a fifteen year old was charged with shooting two men on Faber’s Road. Officer Commanding the Crime Investigations Branch, Julio Valdez, said the injuries to the two young men in the Kraal Road incident were not extensive and the department is examining youth related crimes.

Supt. Julio Valdez, O.C., C.I.B.
“Well last night at about nine we get information about two persons who got injured by gunshot wounds. Police visited Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where they found two youths, one sixteen and one seventeen. One suffering from a gunshot wound to the left forearm and one on his left palm. Information so far received that while both were standing at seventeen Kraal Road two persons passed on bicycles and fired shots at another person who also was apparently in the area and missing them and the caught two persons who were injured; the sixteen and seventeen year olds that are in the hospital. From our investigation we understand they were not the intended target.”

Jose Sanchez
“Sunday night there was the shooting of Terry Felix and that was also by a minor. You normally see a minor shooting someone or a minor being shot. Are you looking at minors?”

Supt. Julio Valdez
“At this point in time, yes Sanchez. As we are aware, now we are noticing that minors all over, minors are being shot at, minors are being charged. As a matter of fact only yesterday we charged this boy, this young boy, fifteen years for the shooting of Felix and Thompson. We are looking and trying to look at something involving minors as we speak of things so we—the administration is looking at trying to get something in programs or something for the youths. We’re trying to see what we can do and try put some kind of program for the youths to get involved in, instead of these shootings that are occurring around the city.”