Former B.D.F. soldier passes away after shooting incident
Romel Palacio Sr.
Romel Palacio Sr., a former B.D.F. soldier, was shot on Sunday morning by a trio who simply walked into his house on Jane Usher Boulevard and unleashed a hail of bullets on him in the presence of family members. Palacio was on life support since then and this morning he expired at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. Murder charges were levied this afternoon on three persons, including two high students. The elder Palacio is believed to have been mistaken for his son, who was to take the witness stand at an upcoming murder trial. News Five Isani Cayetano has been following this story.
Tyoris Palacio, Wife of Deceased
“We had already went and paid for the visas noh, and we were going online today to apply for it and I think sometime in the week we were going to the consul to apply for visas to go on and take a vacation.”
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
Plans to spend summer in the United States have changed dramatically for Tyoris Palacio within the past seventy-two hours. Instead of vacationing together she is now concerned with funeral arrangements for her husband Romel who was viciously mowed down during a brazen home invasion over the weekend. The fifty-three year old cab driver, whose Dodge Caravan remained parked in their driveway, was fatally shot inside the family home on Sunday by a duo of assassins who were seeking to wipe out an eyewitness to a murder five years ago.
Cyrilia Nunez
Cyrilia Nunez, Sister of Deceased
“I have a message for them. They shoot my brother, my brother deh on life support [and] anything can happen this moment here. God sih but didn’t like ugly. They have it coming.”
It’s an ominous message for two high school students, a minor as well as eighteen year old Christopher Sosa, who have been implicated in the shooting. On Tuesday they were both charged with attempted murder, grievous harm and use of deadly means of harm. In light of Palacio’s passing earlier today the initial charges are expected to be upgraded. Needless to say Palacio’s family is wracked by the tragedy.
Tyoris Palacio
Tyoris Palacio
“It’s very hard. It’s very hard, you know, because I had expected this for my son, not my husband, you know, and they invaded my privacy because they came all the way into my home, you know.”
While the young men did not come across their quarry they instead exacted upon Palacio the vengeance with which they sought to eliminate his son. Their pursuit was to prevent him from testifying in Tuesday’s trial of siblings Maurice and Emory Felix whom it is believed are responsible for the April 2006 slaying of Mitchum Heredia.
Maurice & Emory Felix
Tyoris Palacio
“I have one have one message for Ms. Janet Felix because it’s her sons who are behind this and I know that. Ms. Janet the same way how I am crying for my husband that’s the way you’ll be crying for your two sons that are at jail right now. That’s all I have to tell Ms. Janet Felix because I know it’s her sons behind this.”
Ashton Anderson
Along with the pair, twenty-eight year old Ashton Anderson has also been charged for possession of a prohibited firearm following the discovery of a forty caliber Smith & Wesson handgun, a thirty-eight special revolver and matching ammunition. Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.
Sosa and Anderson appeared before Magistrate Albert Hoare this afternoon, no pleas were taken and the case was adjourned for August eighteenth.
Sorry for your loss Mrs. Palacio. I don’t believe the young men mistook the father for the son, they were there to deliver a message & until we get the witness assassination & intimidation under control the senseless violence will continue. But I have to question why Maurice & Emory has not been tried, five years is way too long for a successful outcome & the bodies are piling up. How many more people need to die before we fix the court calendar & get serious about prosecuting & convicting murderers?.
I totally agree with Tyoris Palacio,I mean if the GOB won’t do anything to combat this crime situation.Then people are going to take the law into their hand.But if this is what someone has to do to protect his or hers then so be it.
Mrs. Palacio and Mrs. Nunez, I am sorry for your loss. Indeed, this is a senseless crime. These criminals need to be executed. They need to die the very same way they murdered your loved one, in cold blood.
Barrow’s reign is a disappointment to all Belizeans, he is not doing enough to send the message to these criminals roaming around in Belize. How many more people will need to be murdered before he takes action? What is he waiting for? Is he waiting for something to happen to one of his family members before he realizes just how serious this problem is? I was born in Belize and was raised in the states, I would one day love to return home but with all these senseless crimes and people not being punished appropriately I am apprehensive. God bless you and comfort you during your time of mourning.
This government is affiliated with the criminal elements in Belize hence the reason the murder rate is where it’s at.The message that the PM is sending to the criminals is that as long as they can murder a witness or witnesses prior to them appearing in court that they can walk out of court free.As a result this trend is going to continue.
Why five years to bring these guys to trial? Now I can some what believe what Manjivar said with regards to the raid on his house by police, that he thought robers were trying to break into his house. To think that these guy carried out this attach in broad day light clearly demon strate that the citizens of Belize are not safe in no way shape or form. surely drastic measures must be taken to send a strong message to these gangs, the kind of message that the government of Mexico is sending to the drugs cartel.
Since its obvious that these gangs mean business, the government should make it a criminal offense for anyone to be afiliated with gang.AsI was stated by the Commisioner of Police last week in his address to a group that graduated from a gang prevented class, that the police know who are affiliated in gangs; so it should be quite easy use that information to nail these plagues to society to the cross. Another way to control these ruthless hulligands is to set a computer tracking system and tag all of them with a divice that can tell where each of them are 24/7, and if a fire arms is used it will show who discharged it and the location.
read the news people read d news,
On October the 11th 2007 a jury found them guilty, they appeal the case, the verdict was set aside, they come up for is a retrial sometime this week.
crazy smh