Five injured in shooting incident

Fitzroy Yearwood

Earlier in the newscast we reported on the murders and a shooting death at the hands of police in the City. But there were other violent incidents. In one shooting spree, five Belize City residents including a minor were injured on Friday night shortly after eleven o’clock. The victims: twenty-three year old Tony Gamboa, forty year old Vanzie Lamb, twenty-nine year old Lyn McKenzie, twenty-nine year old Genevive Coleman and an eight year old boy ended up hospitalized at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital.   The incident occurred near the mouth of an alley situated off Water Lane.  News Five spoke with a family member who witnessed what happened but chose to remain anonymous.

Voice of: Eyewitness

“Well Friday me, my sister and three kids and her two sons were out on the alley sitting down with a girl and three young men and my brother.  We neva expect something fi happen like dat cause we noh have beef wid nobody so we noh expect dat fi happen cause no gangbangers noh live through yah only kids and family.  All ah we gone dah shop gone buy wah quart fi mek we drink.  Now we di drink and talk—dat dah fi we usual thing weh we do. So when I left and gone dah  back dat dah when we hear di shots and den I heard everybody start run and dehn holla somebody get shot, somebody get shot and dah my nephew and my sister get it and two more bwai get it.  One get it inna ih hand and one get it inna ih back.  So I neva expected dat fi happen.  I noh know who would ah do something like dis right.  I know ih di hear me and everything but I want know if dah person noh have sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews fi di go on like dat because he wouldn’t want anyone shoot fi he nephews you understand me?  We wah lef dis inna di police hands.”

Fitzroy Yearwood, Police Press Officer

“Police visited  the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital’s  trauma room around eleven-thirty, fifth of March and saw one Tony Gamboa suffering from a gunshot wound  to the right hand. Vanzie Lamb was seen suffering from a gunshot wound to the left side of the back. Lyn McKenzie was seen suffering from a gunshot wound to the right toe, and to the left side of the back. An eight year old minor was seen suffering from a gunshot wound that grazed his head. Geneive Coleman was seen suffering from a gunshot wound that grazed the left buttocks. Initial investigation revealed that these people were gathered at the entrance of an Alley located almost to the end of Water Lane with its junction with Baghdad area when a male person of dark complexion rode up on a bicycle and fired several shots at them causing the injuries to the above mentioned victims. We know that Gamboa and Coleman were treated and released with their injuries but the others were admitted in stable condition at the Karl Heusner.”

Jose Sanchez

“Has the police found out any motive for this shooting?”

Fitzroy Yearwood

“We don’t have any motive at this time but we are still investigating the incident.”

In another incident, at eleven fifty-five p.m. on Saturday police responded to the scene of another shooting, this time at the corner of Euphrates Avenue and Cemetery Road in Belize City where twenty-two year old John Matus of a Euphrates Avenue address was seen with a gunshot wound to the right forearm.   An initial investigation revealed that just before mid night this past, Matus was standing in front of a snack shop along with a few others when two men, one wearing a white T-shirt and the other wearing a red shirt approached them from the direction of Glenn Street. The man wearing the red shirt reportedly pointed a handgun at them and fired several shots one which caught Matus.  No one has been detained for the shootings.