Murder Occurred During Curfew

The murder occurred after twelve midnight on Sunday which is well into the curfew – which began at ten p.m.  Assistant Superintendent Fitzroy Yearwood says that the incident could have possibly been avoided as the victims made themselves easy targets for the gunman by staying out. The law says they should have been at home.

ASP Fitzroy Yearwood

ASP Fitzroy Yearwood, Communications Director, Belize Police Department

“It’s a repeated problem, especially in these rural communities where our police officers are stretched thin doing their patrols, people take advantage of it. They are out during curfew hours as if there is no curfew. They make themselves easy targets because at this time, you have minimal movement in the streets and of course, if you have problem with someone else, there is not much hindrance that would cause your, so to speak enemy, to find you during curfew hours. We keep advising people to adhere to the curfew rules; we ask them to stay in their homes during curfew hours. We even ask the owners of these establishments to close these places an hour before curfew to allow their employees to go home. But we keep seeing where the owner of these establishments takes advantage, especially if they live near to their place of business and they remain on their premises, then they would say that they are at home. And, it creates a lot of problem for the police and in this instance, we have a life lost.”