Leslie Young Jr. is Gunned Down on Newtown Barracks
Leslie Young Jr.
Nineteen-year-old Leslie Young Junior lost his mother and younger brother a year ago, and just welcomed his first child a few months ago. Tonight, his body is at the morgue at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. The teenager was shot and killed on Thursday night near the Mexican Institute here in Belize City. It is believed that he was attacked by at least two men who pursued him along Newtown Barracks and opened fire on him during the downpour around nine o’clock. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
Nineteen-year-old Leslie Young Jr. lost his life on Thursday night when he was pursued by unknown assailants in the vicinity of Newtown Barracks. Despite an attempt to flee from his attackers, Young was gunned down during the heavy shower that blanketed the city sometime after nine p.m.
Voice of: Sister of Deceased
Voice of: Sister of Deceased
“I neva know really weh di happen or dehn thing deh, but my sista she have some messages and thing from wahn person weh lead my bredda and tell my bredda that dehn deh by some sign, some sign by DK’s that mek dehn cohn deh and when I look, dehn seh he di deh di wait. Me noh know if dehn seh three or me noh know how much gunman or whatsoever gaan, and he di run fi ih life and get caught up right deh and dehn just shot up he and soh dehn seh ih jump di embassy and deh down eena di compound pan di ground.”
Young, a resident of La Croix Boulevard, had been in communication via text messages with his sibling prior to the deadly incident. He had just told her that he was heading home to her to spend the night. That was the last she would hear from him, until she was later informed of the tragic incident. His grandaunt was also taken by surprise when she heard of the fatal shooting.
Odessa Orozco
Odessa Orozco, Grandaunt of Deceased
“I mi di sleep cause weh ah mi soh tyad ah mi di cohn from Howell Gillett Christmas party. But when I woke up this morning after one, wahn mind tell mi gaan an mi Facebook, but when I sih pan my Facebook, pan BBN News, the flash news that somebody got gunned down but I didn‘t… When dehn seh di person got gun down and which paat ih get gunned down dehn neva seh di name. And then dehn describe di clothes weh ih mi had on and I still cyant bring it to terms who is the person and who he related to and so I went back to sleep. But when I woke up after six this morning, I woke up to go see my beautiful home that I got from Mr. Gillett. But upon reaching the house, one of my nieces, the aunt of Leslie, husband looked at me and told me that he was gunned down and staat scream I seh no man.”
It is unclear whether Leslie was the victim of an ongoing internal feud involving a gang in the La Croix Boulevard neighborhood.
Voice of : Sister of Deceased
“Back ya weh we live I noh wahn seh ih noh heng out and thing. Yes ih heng out and thing, but since my ma and my lee bredda passed away he stop den deh. From we tell ahn bout friends, friends di kill friends and lotta thing di happen right now, from then ih di live fi sih ih pikni. From then, I noh know. But weh dehn do to my bredda, I just hope dehn know weh dehn do.”
According to Odessa Orozco, last saw her grand nephew on Monday. News of his death earlier today took her by complete surprise.
Odessa Orozco
“When dehn tell me he get hurt and he passed away, all I could do da cry because he lost his mom last year and his little brother and he only nineteen.”
Isani Cayetano for News Five.
