Man murdered twenty yards away from home

He is murder victim number sixty-nine for this year, fifteen more than was reported in the same period last year according to our records, and he is the fifth murder victim for the month of August. It happened early last night and the only shot that hit him, took his life on the spot. Marion Ali was on the scene soon enough and spoke to the relatives of Ray Mark Flowers Junior.

Marion Ali, Reporting
Police had not yet put their guards down with the murders of Sandra Ruiz at her King’s Park home and the shooting death of David Burgess when another murder took place in the dangerous streets of Belize City. Twenty-two year old Ray Mark Flowers Junior had just left his house at number three-C Flamboyant Street to go hang out with friends at the back of an alley when he was shot dead around seven on Monday night. The incident happened in front of Jerome Codd’s house, twenty yards from the home of Mark Flowers.

Jerome Codd, neighbour, Ray Mark Flowers, Jr.
“I just heard some blasts, bout five blasts. That was it. Only that I heard.”

Marion Ali
“What did you do?”

Jerome Codd
“I just come out and see what dah di problem and I see wah guy lay down on the ground but I never know dah mi neighbour.”

Flowers’ grandmother, Alvine Hemsley, told News Five the incident struck home just when she had tuned in to learn the gory details of the weekend’s happenings.

Alvine Hemsley, Grandmother, Ray Mark Flowers Jr.
“I deh in yah di hear the news bout who all get dead from who all get thing when I hear pow pow. And when I run through di door dehn tell me dah Ray get it.”

Ray’s friend, who requested anonymity, also heard the shots that ended his life.

Voice of Friend
“We mi di gamble and I hear di shot dehn and I come bout and when I come bout I see di youth pan di ground and I notice dah Ray get shot. Earlier di youth mi di watch wah news and di youth come by deh come stand up by ihself check? Di man mi di watch di same news and bow, ih happen right deh when di news is on.”

But Hemsley said she had heard reports just hours before that someone wanted her grandson dead.

Alvine Hemsley, grandmother, Ray Mark Flowers, Jr.
“Somebody tell me today dat dehn want kill ah and he mi di bathe and I ask him talk to me, boy weh trouble yoh deh eena? And he seh nobody noh want kill me. I noh eena no problem.”

Police are trying to decipher if Flowers was involved in any problems at the time of his killing. While they do that, those close to him say he was not a trouble maker.

Jerome Codd
“I know the guy from ih mi di go da school and I noh see to harm no, no problem, no trouble with the guy. I noh expect dat wah happen to young boy. Di guy live over deh, ih come home, ih usually come buy water, cold cup from my house, that’s all I know. Cool guy, ih noh mek no trouble, no noise, nothing.”

Voice of Friend
“Ih used to be a cool youth. Most ah di time we spend hanging out right here and smoke wah lee weed and hang out.”

Alvine Hemsley
“Ray da wah quiet person. Ray attended Saint Martin de Porres School. Ih gone da E.P. Yorke High School. Ih graduate from E.P. Yorke high school, ih gone dah CET, ih tek one year inna mechanic,dat dah bout Ray.”

Up to news time, police had still not made an arrest in Belize’s latest homicide victim. Reporting to News Five, Marion Ali.