Youth chopped in his head during attack in Georgeville

Travis Sutherland

There is fortunately no murder to report in this newscast, but it doesn’t mean, there wasn’t any violence on Tuesday night. In Georgeville, a youth was critically wounded on the head around eight-thirty. The nineteen year old left his home to assist a family member who was under attack. He ended up at the San Ignacio hospital. News Five’s Marion Ali reports.

Marion Ali, Reporting

The small community of Georgeville along the Western Highway in the Cayo District is alarmed at a recent spate of violence that has erupted in the village and the residents are calling on the police to give serious attention to the youths.

The call for help comes after a chopping on Tuesday night of nineteen year old Travis Sutherland in front of the village’s basketball court.  The youth was viciously hacked in the head when he went to aid a cousin who was being attacked with machetes by two other young men.

Helen Jones McKoy, Grandmother of Chopping Victim

Helen Jones McKoy

“Dehn bway dehn want hurt Manuel and he see the bway come with the machete, haul ih machete offa the bicycle soh he gone rescue ih cousin and same time the bway get weh with from how he mi got anh hold and ih chop ah eena ih head.”

Voice of: Eyewitness

“This thing happen from the night before. Two young man come di ride pan bicycle and my cousin just di keep to fi he self. When the young man deh reach by the bump yah so, deh spin back and when deh spin back, one of the young man jump off ah di bicycle—weh name Raheem—he jump off and he pull out ih machete and he di go fi attack my cousin and my cousin spin round. When he spin round, he spin with ih bicycle di shield ahn cause he noh wah get chop or chop up. Anyways, fi he bredda and his friend, they run to fi he aide. And when  they run deh, dah then the next young man come off ah his bicycle—weh name B.J. And dah right deh dehn start tackle.”

Helen Jones McKoy

“The doctor seh that ih get wah terrible chop eena the head and ih lose so much blood that ih noh too arite.  Ih noh di remember things.”

Sutherland’s wound is not believed to be life-threatening, but Vice Chairman of Georgeville and other residents of the community are appealing to the Belize Police Department to conduct more patrols in the village to prevent other incidents.

Bernz Salazar, Vice Chairman, Georgeville Village, Cayo

Bernz Salazar

“I would ask the Police Department to intervene more and to make their presence more visible in Georgeville. I keep on saying it that when the guys are practicing on the football field, the police need to take a little walk around man. The guys are playing basketball, take a walk around. Some of these things can be avoided. But if they are doing their part, then we can expect worse to happen. I hope this is not the beginning of a worst case scenario.”

Helen Jones McKoy

“We parents want to know, get to the bottom, fi find out weh di cause this now because we noh used to that fi dehn children di fight up with one another like that right.  The last time dah when deh mi kill dah one pan the court.  Dah from then this thing continue off and on.”

San Ignacio police have detained the suspect pending charges.  Marion Ali for News Five.