Independence Village Youth Murdered In “Martins”

Shemar Cabral

A young man, who lived in Independence Village and had just come to Belize City to visit with friends, was shot and killed sometime after one this afternoon. The victim, nineteen-year-old Shemar Cabral, was only in the city for a few hours before he was murdered in front of his family home on Balan Street. The homicide has sparked disbelief among his friends, with whom he was reportedly socializing after he arrived from southern Belize. But one friend, whose birthday Cabral had come to celebrate told the media that she never got to see him. News Five’s Marion Ali has the story.

Marion Ali, Reporting

Nineteen-year-old Shemar Cabral, a resident of Independence Village, became the country’s latest murder victim when he was shot and killed in front of his family home on Balan Street at around one-thirty this afternoon.  Police Commissioner, Chester Williams told reporters it appeared that the victim was stabbed and shot and that Cabral was probably killed for what he had.

Chester Williams

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“The lifeless body of a male person was found with a stab wound and a gunshot wound. That person was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Police currently have one suspect in custody. We believe that the motive of that murder is robbery as what we had received is that his motorcycle that he was on was stolen and he may have been in the area this morning.”

Cabral’s friend, Judith Estell, told us that he came to Belize City to take her out as a belated birthday treat, but she never got to see him.

Judith Estell

Judith Estell, Friend of deceased

“He come down ya fi come see me because my birthday just gone April 18th and he tell me he mi want I goh da Mango Creek goh hail fi mek we spend it together, but I tell ah I neva mi wa mek it deh. He seh wen he get tru he mi wa come ya and we mi wa spend it together. Soh he come this morning and he call my ma and my ma tell how Shemar she fi mek I goh da she. I mi di call he fi tell ah ih could come fi mi now mek wig oh da my ma, but when I di call he – my ma sista seh how ih gwein and come back. Ih gwein da bank and then ih mi gwein fi me but when I di call he fi come fi me ih nuh di ansa me.”

Cabral was reportedly socializing with some other friends this morning when he arrived and was buying them drinks. Police believe he was the target of a robbery.

Chester Williams 

“He came from Independence and was spending money within the area and so perhaps he was targeted because of that.”

While the motorcycle that Cabral was driving was removed from the scene, purportedly by his killer, neither his friends nor the police are certain at this point whether he had already gone to the bank to get more money when he was killed.

Reymundo Reyes

Sr. Supt., Reymundo Reyes, Deputy Commander, Eastern Division

“The investigation is pretty young. We have obtained certain information in which police is working with at this moment.”

Marion Ali

“The family is saying that the motorcycle that he was on was taken from him. Do police know at this time whether or not he had money on him as well?”

Shemar Cabral

Sr. Supt., Reymundo Reyes

“That I do not know.”

Police at the scene took a bicycle they found and are trying to determine whether the person who rode that bike was the gunman. They are also canvassing the area to see if they can locate surveillance video that would lead them to Cabral’s killer. Marion Ali for News Five.