Shooting victim denies knowing assailant
Today Trenton Green, the U.C.B. student who received a gunshot wound to his abdomen on Saturday, September eleventh denied he was acquainted with his assailant, Jerome Goff. Viewers may recall that during a police press conference, Inspector Mario Vernon, Head of C.I.B. told the media he does not believe Green was shot simply because he refused to buy Goff a bottle of stout. He said their investigation indicates the men knew each other and there may be another reason why the student was shot. Today News Five spoke with Green at the Karl Heusner Memorial. He said he only knows Goff by name. He says the night he was shot, Goff approached him as he entered a Chinese shop to change a check and asked him to buy the stout but Green said he told Goff he did not have any money. Green says Goff stayed by the door and watched when the shopkeeper changed the check for him. Green says it was when he was walking out of the store that Goff pulled out the gun and asked, “Why did you say you didn’t have any money?” and then shot him in the stomach. Green is expected to be released from the hospital this weekend. Today the University College of Belize responded to the incident by promising to work along with other tertiary level educational institutions to address the problem of gun violence in Belize City.
Dr. Martin Cuellar, Director, Student Enrollment, U.C.B.
“Right now we have started to organize what I would like to consider a multi-campus approach to this problem. We’re inviting representatives from the other tertiary level institutions in Belize City to meet with us to start with a brain storming session this weekend. We should be meeting on Friday and together we will look at what we think are the best ways that we can pool together our resources both of faculty expertise as well as student leadership of all the faculties to send a direct message to all levels of society from the government leadership right down to the common man on the street.”
U.C.B. students or others who would like to take part in the university’s anti-violence campaign can contact the Office of Student Enrollment.
