One dead, eleven injured by grenade tossed into crowd
We’re not really sure how or why Belize changed from a relatively peaceful place into an extremely violent one, but when that history is written the events of Sunday night in Belize City may be cited as a watershed occurrence: when the staccato crackle of handguns was overshadowed by the thunder of a hand grenade. News Five’s Janelle Chanona has the story.
Annette Gentle, Mayflower Street Resident
“Da like something explode, like a gas tank explode but no wah small gas tank, wah extra big gas tank weh di explode.”
Janelle Chanona
“What happen afterwards?”
Annette Gentle
“Afta dat yoh just si like everybody di run different direction and some drop pan di ground, can’t even move. When they pick up they, one ah di lee bwai eye di come out like almost di coming out, whole ah yah eat out and all ah ih body and ting dehn. Can’t describe dis miss. Dat dah mi wah ugly sight and wah ugly sound.”
Janelle Chanona
“Initial police investigations reveal that the lone perpetrator was on bicycle when he approached the corner of Vernon and Mayflower Street. He threw an object into Mayflower Street to where a group of people were sitting. Seconds later the device detonated.”
The shock wave from the explosion shook homes, shattered glass in the immediate vicinity and left a dozen people injured:
Twenty-five year old year old Darrel Myvette, fifteen year old Sheriff Smith, sixteen year old Kendis Flowers, twenty-nine year old Neria Wolcock, sixteen year old Kyle Chaplin, twenty year old Ervin James, sixteen year old Triston Gordon, fifteen year old Tryon Meighan, eighteen year old Charles Young, sixteen year old Jamal Neal, twenty year old Teddy Reyes and sixteen year old Darren Trapp were all rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital with multiple penetrating wounds to the body, extremities and head.
Annette Gentle
“They deh pan the ground di tremble up yoh undastand? Dah like Iraq, wah war, dah like wah war. Yoh know how yo si man get blow inna explosion like Iraq? Daw wah explosion just wen the man when yo si dehn dah war deh pan di ground di pull like this like when somebody foot come off and thing and yo di pull pan di ground. Da mi wah ugly sight miss.”
Following the assault, family members and friends gathered at the K.H.M.H. to wait for news on their loved ones.
Janelle Chanona
“Would that have been shrapnel? What type of objects would have caused the wounds?”
Dr. Khalid Ghazy, Medical Chief of Staff, K.H.M.H.
“According to the x-ray, shells, that mean explosives most of the time. We didn’t see any nails or anything in the penetrating wounds which that indicate one object was thrown and most of them getting similar injuries because it’s small shells all around.”
While Teddy Reyes remains in critical condition at the K.H.M.H., sixteen-year-old Darren Trapp, who was admitted with a severed leg, a missing eye and head trauma, died around one on Monday morning. According to Sherette Jones, she and her son had spent the day at the Agriculture Show grounds in Belmopan but Darren went to spend the night at a friend’s house.
Sherette Jones, Mother of Deceased
“He usually go through deh. I talk to dah lee bwai everyday, I tell ah yo young, yo no need fi go through deh. Dat da noh yo type fi heng out, yo too young, I noh want yo through deh. But no care how I talk to dah lee bwai. If I fi come out and I lef ah inna dah house, ih just go when I go. No care how yo try stop ah from heng out trough deh ih still go. They seh the person just throw the thing and look like he see it and when he see it he si like smoke di come outta it and he kick it. when he kick it, dah right deh so di thing blow up. But he da di one we get it the worse.”
Supt. Aaron Guzman, O.C., Crimes Investigation Branch
“Our intelligence report had said things about grenades and other automatic weapons coming in from our neighbouring countries, it is obvious now that it is here.”
In the aftermath of the brutal assault, police went on “lock down”, increasing mobile patrols and conducting random searches across the city.
Allen Whylie, Assistant Commissioner of Police
“Last night was a reality check in terms of the fact it has been used, in my view, for the first time and it was something that we view very, very seriously.”
Police have recovered the lever of the hand grenade believed to have been used in the attack, a European made M40.
Major David Jones, Senior Bomb Disposal Technician, B.D.F.
“These are the grenades that have the small pellets inside. The damage from the grenade is really from the pellets. When that grenade functions it shoots out those pellets about seven thousand meters per second. Those pellets will be flying hemispherical in all directions. It’s not a weapon that will discriminate; whoever is around will get hit.”
According to Senior Bomb Disposal Technician, Major David Jones, the grenade, characterized as a “defensive type” was smuggled into Belize since the Belize Defence Force nor BATSUB uses that type of device. But Jones says this is not the first time such a weapon has been found in Belize as the same type was used in an incident at mile 42 on the Western Highway approximately seven years ago.
While the origin of the explosive is still a mystery, police have identified a St. Martin De Porres resident as a suspect. Following the blast, officers manning the police booth in the area pursued a man dressed in a white shirt on foot but he escaped. Up to news time that person was still at large.
While Assistant Commissioner of Police Allen Whylie did not point to gang warfare as the motive of the attack, the department is bracing for retaliation. The Conscious Youth Development Program will continue with its plans to hold a meeting on Mayflower Street tonight but even the police appear frustrated by the level of violence.
ACP Allen Whylie
“Unfortunately, no care how much preventative, educative, interdictive efforts you make, there will always be someone out there who perhaps does not want to be part of any program and seeks the opportunity to do a senseless act like what was done last night.”
Sherette Jones
“Belize di come to ah end. I just want si justice done.”
Steve Myles, Uncle of Deceased
“Instead ah Belize di go head or up, we di go down because more people di go down and more people di drop and go bury.”
And as another Belizean mother prepares to bury her son, the city is left to wonder if the deadly firepower of Sunday night’s attack will become the new standard for urban warfare. Reporting for News Five, I am Janelle Chanona.
As of late this afternoon Teddy Reyes remained in critical condition, Darrel Myvette was listed as serious and Kendis Flowers and Jamaal Neal were classified as fair.
