Man murdered in broad daylight in city streets

Two months ago he was charged with Attempted Murder and Use of Deadly Means of Harm for shooting twenty-two year old Darrel Jones on Youth for the Future Drive near the Belchina Bridge. But today when shots rang out it was the accused, twenty-four year old Robert Jones, also known as “Black” who fell victim to gun violence. And while there is little information that police can provide to this latest murder in the streets of the City, police are preparing for what can be open retaliation by rival gangs. The incident happened in broad daylight this morning. To make matters worse, police have no leads of who murdered Jones. Cops are now reviewing the video tapes from the three cameras at the rear of the compound of the Belize Water Services, just across from where the incident occurred shortly after eleven this morning. Reports are that Jones, who lived with his girlfriend in Majestic Alley, had gone to visit his grandmother on Evergreen Street and had just left, heading towards Mahogany Street when he was fatally shot. When News Five arrived on the scene the black slippers that the gunman wore were still on the street and police were combing the area for expended shells, while inside the yard, family and friends covered the spot where Jones collapsed after being shot several times. We spoke off camera with Jones’ grandmother who had seen him only moments before his brutal murder.

Voice of Grandmother
“Ih sit down like dis and ih tell me, ih seh gran, ih seh hmm. Three times ih seh hmm. I seh weh happen to yoh Black? But maybe ih mi wah tell but same time somebody come buy biscuit and thing from me. So all ih tell me ih seh gran give me wah biscuit and wah coke, ih seh and I wah come back to yoh fi talk wid yoh. Dat’s all ih seh. So when we sit dong and when somebody halla seh gunshot. So when I run cross deh dah Spanish man seh go back inna mi house and shet mi door because dehn di shoot out, dehn di shoot. So when I come me and my lee gran daughter wi haul di door and I come sit down and my granddaughter seh granny shot, shot. Ih name Elisha. Ih seh shot, granny, shot. I neva seh nothing more. Dat’s all I could seh weh I hear right.”

“When I gone, I gone cross ah fi dehn yard and I si my grandson lay so pan ih face. And when I si ih lay so I di hail but when I di hail ah all weh ih do da so … ih neva know dah deh ih di dead. I si some lot ah thing di come outta ih mouth. When I gone wah big hole deh back yah so; back ah ih neck. He noh live yah yoh know but every mawning he come yah before all ah ih people dehn go dah work. dis dah ih aunty and di next one weh live dah ih house dah ih aunty. Every mawning he si dat he deh yah early fi dehn. But all I seh if dah lady neva come miss, I mi wah know if anybody mi di trail ah because ih sit dong right yah weh pah dis lee gial deh and ih study gran, gran.”

Jones was shot in the back of the head, left chest, lower back and buttocks. He was pronounced dead about an hour later at the K.H.M.H. This was not the first time that Jones’ grandmother has had to cope with the death of a family member to gun violence. Thirteen years ago she also had to bury Jones’ father.

We also spoke off-camera with a neighbour who prefers to remain anonymous for her own personal security and who attempted to help the wounded Jones right after he was shot.

Voice of Grandmother’s Neighbour
“First we mi think da like pop shot then when I peep out I si di young man dehn di run inna di yard and di shoot. Same time I lock di door cause I noh want ih woulda try come een den same time my bredda come een through di back door so I lock di back door. Den he seh he call di bwai name, “Black”, di bwai weh get shot. My bredda seh dah Black right cause he suppose to talk to ah ovah di fence when ih mi deh ovah yah. So I ask my sista if di person done gone weh mi di shoot because I mi stop yer di shot. She seh yes so dah den we come and wen we come out we si he pan di ground lay down inna blood. We mi di try stop wah taxi but dah nevah taxi, bt di neighbour come. Right away he come and we ker ah dah hospital but I guess ih mi too late.”

Up to news time, police remained puzzled at this morning’s murder and had not yet charged anyone.