Wild West: Jesse Jones gunned down in Ontario village
jesse jones
The other murder took place in the west where a birthday celebration ended tragically for twenty-two year old Jesse Jones of Ontario Village. Jones and a group of friends left a party at around eleven on Tuesday night. They set out to make amends with another group with whom there was a dispute over a car. Instead of achieving peace they were met with a hail of bullets and by the time the night was over, two houses were also set ablaze. News Five’s Marion Ali has reports from Ontario.
Marion Ali
“The trouble in Ontario Village started when a group of friends socializing at a house further up this dirt road came to this location to make peace with another group with whom they had had a previous dispute. But instead, they were fired upon and twenty-two year old Jesse Jones was shot and killed.”
jerome jones
Jerome Jones, Cousin of Deceased
“All ah wi dah from the same village so we seh ih no make sense fi make we di beef up and thing. So they one seh they mi gwen go hail the balli deh and make they come reason with we and thing. But I noh know weh gone on. I just hear crazy gun shot after that and Jesse got shot check.”
Marion Ali
“Where does leave the whole old beef issue now. It escalated out of control and somebody was killed.”
Jerome Jones
“Jesse done dead and people di trip. All ah wi di trip. Me personally, dah no my beef that and I could overs it. Though my family gone and thing, I just have to live with it check.”
Voice of eyewitness
“I heard the shot, like nine shots and when I heard the shots I saw my son and like couple of the guys from the village come running from that direction. And I said what wrong and they said that Jesse got hit. When they pick him up and bring him out here that when I hold his head and I just said Jess…jus get mi ma, mi ma.”
Jesse Jones’ mother, Dominga Gentle, said her son never had a problem with anyone and was in fact, acting as mediator to bring the two groups together.
dominga gentle
Dominga Gentle, Mother of Murder Victim
“He was with the other ones them who have the birthday party, then he was going over to the boy who live to the back there just to invite them over and tell them that them dah from the same village, they noh need fi di fight.
Marion Ali
“So they wanted to make peace.”
Dominga Gentle
“Yeah and eena that same time there I no know what gone wrong dah when I understand he get shot.”
Marion Ali
“That was when things escalated out of control and Jesse’s friends retaliated. When it was all over, two homes were gutted.”
Voice of eyewitness
“The guns still keep on firing and a bunch of the guys from the village, you know, almost the whole village came out with stuff like machete and stick to defend.”
Jerome Jones
“And when we left, we pick up ahn right dah front deh, the house they neva burn yet. So we got no idea who burn deh.”
Up to news time Belmopan police had not detained anyone for the alleged arson, but had detained three persons, including two men, one of whom is from Belize City, and a woman in connection with the shooting death of Jesse Jones. Marion Ali for News Five.
Police have also recovered three shells from the scene and have seized a gun found with one of the persons in custody.
Let’s hope the police can conduct a legal investigation and the DPP can get convictions.
People, Belize may feel like hell right now but setting it on fire is not going to cool it off.
There was a time when parents & grandparents would take the time to make peace. If that’s what these young men were really trying to do, it is very unfortunate that this was the result .
Let’s get real, if you are in Belize & you piss someone off, be prepared to die. A group of young men going to another’s home to talk out their differences can be perceived as a threat. We can’t send Grandpa, they will shoot him, you can’t send Grandma, she may be beaten & raped. How in God’s name did we get here in one generation?
Drinking and socializing with the enemy of your enemy, and then decided to go make peace with your enemy, was such a good idea after all.
Even they bushy these days are out of control in Belize, armed with guns and bombs, and killing each other.
youths youths, when will this mad man thing will end, plese think for a while and reflect life is one and there’s no repair. the ignorance and egos of this youths now adays bring things like these, so sad that according to the news this young man wanted to make peace but he’s the one who ended dead. being a mediator sometimes can be risky but these vandalism of burning houses was way out of reasoning.
the devil never sleeps…..he is on overtime right now
so sad!! If it is true this guys wanted to make peace and instead one end up dead police should arrest and charge the other group, put them in jail, common men now the entire world will think savages live in belize, hmmmm
going to make “peace” with your enemy at night after a drinking bout…???? doesnt sound reasonable…. why not try to make peace during the day when sober????
Parents… Parents…. when will we accept that we are creating monsters??? In this case Iam referring to parents from BOTH sides…..
seems like the new way to settle scores is to rally a mob and burn down the enemy’s fort. wasn’t that practice a few centuries ago. what are the police and other law enforcement agencies doing about this. Jaguar and holding hands singing “I am Belize” is clearly not enough.
Somehow I really don’t feel like celebrating and jumping up in carnival and marching with all this mayhem and madness going on. but I am sure that as night follows the day, the Mayor will deliver a wonderful speech tomorrow. Hence the reason I will stay home and on the 21 PM will eloquently show us the Magic. LETSGETREALBELIZE. we are now being ranked with countries in SubSaharan Africa for Human Development Indices.
BELIZE HAS TURNED ITS BACK ON GOD………….. these are the consequences.
THE CHURCH NEEDS TO STEP UP and aid in putting a stop to this madness!!!!
Agree Earl Grey, exactly what is happening….we will be dealing with “natural” disasters next similar to Haiti. Pick up the Torah, Bible or Quran and read.These are not tales of the ancients but guidance on past behaviour and results of these actions.
Sallams.
Jessi u will be missed! It broke my heart wen i heard about wat happened. I remember our days in high school, u were the sweetest and funny guy in class. U always made everyone laugh even the teachers. If i was the law i wud tie up those ….. who did this to you and beat them with whips every single days n make them stave to death. How did u know he was drunk, fool? If ur gonna make stupid comments like that dont write ….. Atleast he was damn brave to wanna make peace. It take someone with heart to do that now a dayz. In our hearts u;ll always be jessie. love u
Letsgetreal, you said a mouthful!
I had just met Jessee in Cristo Rey with his other friends during the wake of my brother last friday… We had a great time and he is indeeed, was a funny guy who made us enjoy some hours of laughter together.. Too bad and sudden that i was shocked to hear he was shot…couldn’t make it through to be with us for the nine-nites…today
Will be missed and remembered as a funny guy and his close friends i met, my condolences to you all..
Jules
Hi good evening to everyone,My Little Brother was not drunk ,only (GOD) knows what happen that knight i was the one who drove him to the hospital and he told me what happen and his word will always stand in my book.Cant say how this hurts but life is what it is one day at a time that is all we can do and see what the good Lord Has in store for us.and for all those with there smart comment may GOD bless you all and your family.