Six weekend murders: 8 yr. Old shot while sleeping in her bed
eyannie nunez
There is no bottom to the abyss to which crime has plunged. Six persons were murdered in the weekend’s wave of terror; four in the city and two in the west. How do you top this new record? There is yet no official comment, but there is general public outrage at the carnage, and we start in the Old Capital where police presence was highly visible for Saturday’s carnival, but in a period of three hours beginning at the crack of dawn on Sunday, hell broke loose and when it was over, four were dead between the ages of eight and sixty years. The gunshots reverberated throughout the City, beginning at four o’clock in the morning and died down shortly after seven. The first victim to be caught in the random murders was an eight year old All Saints student; she was asleep in her bed, when gunfire penetrated the walls of her Zericote Street home. Eyannie Nunez did not live for long; she died at the K.H.M.H. shortly after. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports.
Francine Pitts, Mother of Murder Victim
“I would like to ask the person who took Eyannie away from me do they have an eight year old daughter or son, a sister or a brother that is her age? If yes, would you want anyone to chance them out of their life helplessly while sleeping?”
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
The heartbreaking story of eight year old Eyannie Nunez once again underscores the rash of senseless, indiscriminate gun violence that has taken hold of the Old Capital. Eyannie is the third minor under the age of ten to become an unintended target in Belize City’s rolling urban feud since the beginning of this year. Like Marquise Mahler, Eyannie was gunned down in a hail of bullets that were meant for a relative. Her mother, Francine Pitts, recounted the harrowing ordeal that unfolded shortly before dawn on Sunday morning.
Francine Pitts
francine pitts
“About three-forty-five approximately that time that’s when I heard some footsteps but I thought it was my cousin or probably my brother he likes to come because he use to live downstairs so he still has access of his home downstairs. So anyway I didn’t peep out, I didn’t look but what got my attention is that when I heard the several gunshot and it was so close. I never knew then that it was the room that they shot after so I fell on the floor and then I went in the room because I know that that’s where my son slept. So I run and I call out his name and I said to get on the floor, gunshot if you didn’t hear it and he said no.”
But while Pitts’ eldest son did not hear the sound of bullets as they tore through the bedroom of her wooden house her neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous, was startled by the rapid succession of gunfire.
Voice of: Neighbor
“I was asleep and the gunshots suddenly awoken me and I jumped off my bed and I, after like a little while later, I heard screaming. When I heard the screaming it was just like one scream then my mother woke up and she came and saw what was happening. She heard the gunshot as well. Like it was like, I heard about like five gunshots.”
Eyannie had also been frightened out of her slumber by the volley of shots. When it subsided a total of eight bullets had perforated the walls. She laid in bed mortally wounded next to her three siblings before being discovered by her mother a few seconds later.
Francine Pitts
“The first that I saw was on the bed foot was Eyannie so that’s when I grabbed Eyannie but when I lift her up I felt warmness, like she peed herself. So I said baby the gunshot got you, I say “you pee yourself sweety?” So I went and put her on her bed to try to change her. I said “mommy’s gonna change you baby and everything’s gonna be ok. So that’s when I, when I turned on the light now that’s when I knew that she got shot. I see blood start to pouring out her and I just got weak and fell on the floor with her.”
Sadly, the standard one student had been hit once to the upper body, the bullet exiting her left armpit. The individual the shooters had been looking for, Francine’s younger brother Herman, was nowhere in sight.
Francine Pitts
“They sent a threat that they were going to burn out the house. When they came I sent message to the same person that bring the message to me, not to me actually, to my cousin that live upstairs and I told them, told him to tell them that I have nothing to do with what they’re talking about, that my brother no longer live here.”
His disappearance from the house he once occupied came days after the family was intimidated by his enemies. They however, cared less who the occupants of the house were as they opened fire wholesale. Today Eyannie was being remembered by her peers and homeroom teacher as someone who had a promising future.
Andrea Grinage, Std. 1 Teacher, All Saints School
“Eyannie is a very bright student. She’s very willing to assist me in anything that I wanted to get done. She also finished her work on time so [uhm] Eyannie was a very bright student.”
Today the desk that she shared with her classmate was noticeably empty. Her father, Ian Nunez, who is still coming to terms with his daughter’s murder, was left to stare at her pictures; her mother to find it within herself to absolve her daughter’s killers.
Francine Pitts
“I forgive them and I know my daughter, Eyannie, will forgive them but if only they can tell me there isn’t a God sitting in heaven which I know better, there is one and I will get my justice. I will see Eyannie’s killer come to life.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.
yow dis is sad juss stay strong shabba an hey juss do wat has to be done
what u really need to do is to have a good salary for the police post so people would be interested in being one not to go and give ur son more popularity use the money for law inforcement the killing of a 8yrs old hurt but really hurt that could be my daughter howm i love with all my heart shox PM get ur thing rite u were elected to protect us not to get ur son out of jail an spend our money on trip u had a grant use it on the people but u r like those people that r happy with one time u dont care if u get re-elected thats why u r doing nothing but thats what the people wanted a Change u got ur Change from bad to WORST
BLAME THE POLITISHAN SINCE WE CANT BLAME OURSELVES
I want everyone to know that i realized the condition of belize when my cousin “NALO” da Punta Rock Boy from Brooklyn Alabama Uprising showed me a documentary about the gangs,violence and heartless brutality of my country……i felt so hurt and shocked to know my country was so wicked………i pray for all those still in belize dealing with this tragedy day after day……..LORD HAVE MERCY ON OUR SOULS……LET YOUR WILL BE DONE.AMEN.
Garifuna Dynasty Sound send our condolences………one day we will experience true serenity!
I want everyone to know that i realized the condition of belize when my cousin “NALO” da Punta Rock Boy from Brooklyn Alabama Uprising showed me a documentary about the gangs,violence and heartless brutality of my country……i felt so hurt and shocked to know my country was so wicked………i pray for all those still in belize dealing with this tragedy day after day……..LORD HAVE MERCY ON OUR SOULS……LET YOUR WILL BE DONE.AMEN.
Garifuna Dynasty Sound send our condolences………one day we will experience true serenity!
Another innocent kid taken away for no reason. This is heartless, my condolences to the family. MR. BARROW PLEASE HELP YOUR COUNTRY. Being a government is not only about attire and vocabulary..its about MANAGING your country. You have kids…how would you feel in such situation, what would you do??? Well guess what, we are like your kids…we fall under YOU – DO SOMETHING!
Murderers, THERE IS A GOD AND HE is watching. I wish there was a law for people caught with illegal guns – CUT dem hand”s”.
look its out of hand this realy need to stop .
{Bob Marley said destruction of the poor id in the poverty}. It’s not that they cant change, they
don’t want it to change. People themselves have to change it, each and everyone. Uhnuh think
them politician care, when them have fi them bodyguards, and them and them, family can get
rich and flight out all the time. { mind control, mind control}, we see it from long time. wake up
people uh nuh need fu wake up.
I often read these responses and now I find myself responding. I am saddened to hear of this little angels death. This kid was in her bed which you would think is a safe haven for her and yet she was gun down! This is really SAD. No one is safe in Belize. NO ONE. How many more people will die at the hands of these criminals? Please something have to be done soon. R.I.P baby girl and may your family find comfort in God.
YAHWEH shall save his people……
I remember the last time our country had curfew was in the ‘riot’ in Czl I was a child. It worked everyone cooperated and wanted peace, some property had been destroyed and some people had died. But if that will keep peaceful sleep in our children’s bedroom then we as adults should be responsible for the youth we gave birth to with our lives such as the lions, or the lion of Judah. Cooperate with police, take your neighborhoods back with watches cooperate with the BDF, to the point of turning in whoever is not cooperating get them far away from you. And this little one is in His arms right now good mother, peace.
LOOK WHAT TOOK PLACE DURING THE WEEKEND:( AND I WONDER WHAT THE HELL WE WERE THINKING WE WE ELECTED THIS GOVERMENT??? THEY ARE DOING NOTHING BUT BS TO THE COUNTRY… LOOK HOW MANY INOCENT LIVES ARE BEEN TAKEN AWAY AND THERE IS NO ONE TO POINT TO AND BLAME FOR THAT. SO LETS THINK GOOD AND BE WISE WHEN ELCTIONG BACK PEOPLE THAT WOULD DO NOTHING FOR THE BELIZEAN PEOPLE BUT ONLY FOR THEMSELVES. LOOK AT THE POLICE WERE THE HELL IS THE POLICE????? THEY SHOULD BE VERY QUICK TO RESPOND TO ANY GUN SHOOTS AT ANY TIME. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT WE THE PEOPLE ARE PAYING TAX JUST TO MAKE THEM GET FATTER SITTING DOWN DOING NOTHING!!!!!! WAT A SHEM ON YOU THE POLICE DEPARTMENT
I’m lost for words that’s my very very close friend,the Gov of belize is doing a poor job if it was one of thier own then i guess their eyes would open up,To to Francine you are in my prayers as you say god is not asleep..As those monsters they will get theirs SMH..So sad an heart wrenching:-( Tear for my friend and her family..
MY HEART GOES OUT TO THE FAMILY FRANCINE PITTS PRAY TO GO MOMMA
Mr. PM, please raise a glass and salute to, yet, another death of an innocent 8 year child. I hope the Crystal you are drinking and the medium well porter house is very, very delectable.
Some folks above say be afraid of going down in history as the worst PM this country has ever had – I think its too late my dear Belizean. I have never given a crap about you being red or blue – I have always thought you were the worst thing this country will suffer due to your attitude.
But, we need to be careful Belizeans; its only a matter of time people in this society will start to splinter off and form their own judge, jury and executioner death squads and it will be a freaking blood bath; that will not help it will only make it much, much worse.
Remember to everyone of these shootings there is another side to the coin; think about why that youth/young man went and shoot up that house because he thought that Mrs. Pitts brother was there; its all retaliation going down in the city – this is perpetual – a never ending cycle if left uncheck.
Disillusioned you are correct. Families have to reprt their relatives. They can’t really love their family, they are too greedy and selfish. This brother must know who did it and he must have told somebody who send the threats, so now he needs to go and say something. His niece life can’t go just like that. Talk up! PM need to do something now.
I would not be surprise if the entire Belize is wipe out by a hurricane. the bible says that when innocent blood cries out for help he will intervene I mean come own how much can God take. If you know him, He is fear and just, but he can be harsh and mean. This call for repentance we might just be wiped out like Sodom and Gomorrah. Only the righteous- the ones who call on the name of the lord- those who put their trust in him will remain. Pray lets Pray harder.
this is tooo much for me my cousin is a strong woman but one thing I know is that god is not sleeping…..
My deepest condolence goes out to the Pitts family and let’s not make this story die until justice has been served.The murder of this little angel must not go unsolve.
Where is the no-good uncle?
It is because of him that this little girl lost her life, now the …ker is in hiding, mouth close.
Who will bring justice for this child if not for him?
i agree to make 21st a day for protesting, who is organizing this effort?
My heart truly goes out to the family of this little angel. I am tired of worrying about my family back in Belize, because of these idiots. The goverment really needs to stop sitting on their ….. and step up and do something, before it’s too late.
Okay so evry 1 is tired of so much crime in Belize? well why not do something about it. instead of evryone crying I’m tired of crime,I’m tired of worrying of my family in bze stand up Belize, wake up let our voices B HEARD.LETS MAKE A CHANGE. In my opinion d only way crime will decease abundantly is by having the DEATH penalty in Belize.
miss Francine Pitts I have kids too and i feel ur pain I’m truly sorry 4 ur loss