Moneylender shot in front of cathedral

It was the middle of the morning on a typical day. A service was underway at St. John’s Cathedral and those who live and work at the end of Albert Street were going about their daily routine. Suddenly the stillness of the morning was shattered and in full view of all a man was gunned down and left in a pool of blood on the sidewalk. The experience was all the more surreal because as one witness told News Five, the shooter wore a mask like the one in the movie “Scream”. Everyone at the scene was shocked and now they are afraid to tell what they saw, at least on camera. Let me warn viewers you may find some scenes very graphic.

Forty-four year old Winston Burgess was a moneylender whose clients were mostly waterfront workers. Included in his collection rounds every Tuesday was the Caribbean Shipping Agency office. But this morning as Burgess made his way towards the building at the end of Albert Street, two men were watching him. Witnesses tell News Five they saw them set their bicycles down on the grounds of St. John’s Cathedral. One of them then put on a Halloween mask with a white face. They crossed over to Burgess and demanded money. When he refused a struggle ensued. Witnesses said the man in the mask, pulled a gun and shot Burgess.

Voice of Witness

“Ay Miss Jackie, I am so frightened the only thing I can tell you, we heard a gunshot and I look out and when I look out I saw three persons. Again I heard another gunshot. I saw a man hanging on a vehicle back and he fell to the ground.”

As Burgess went down, the robbers quickly ran across the church grounds, jumped onto their bicycles and rode off. A church service was going on at the time of the incident. People from the neighborhood quickly gathered. Burgess, who received a fatal wound to the back of his neck, lay on the sidewalk.

Catherine Burgess says her husband had been threatened before.

Catherine Burgess, Wife

“The last time they did it we move all the way to Corozal out of Belize City completely because we afraid it would happen again. And we come back because it is here his business is and see what happen.”

Burgess says when her husband left home he had a total of seven thousand, five hundred dollars. At the scene police recovered six thousand five hundred dollars which has since been handed back to the family.

Catherine Burgess

“I no understand why they did it. Actually they could have taken the money and just go. They never had to kill him.”

Police have declined to comment on whether they have any suspects in custody but say the robbers left a number of clues at the scene. Forensics recovered an expended shell that had fallen through the drain cover on the sidewalk and a baseball cap was lying next to the dead man’s body. The family says it did not belong to Winston Burgess.

Catherine Burgess

“The hat was in his hands and he had to haul it off of the person’s head that shot him because he does not wear hats. A red baseball cap with an A on it and who the owner for that is who killed him.”

Police have pulled in a number of people for questioning but so far have made no arrests.