Murder in Benguche Area of Dangriga
Randy Vasquez
It’s the countdown for Christmas and murders aren’t letting up. The latest took place in Dangriga over the weekend where Randy Vasquez lost his life when he tried to break up a fight involving one of his friends and a minor. The area is a known hotspot where many at risk youths hang out and Saturday was not different. Police have since detained the minor, pending charges. News Five’s Andrea Polanco reports.
Andrea Polanco, Reporting
Pen Road, in the Benguche Area of Dangriga, is the country’s latest murder scene. Shortly after eight on Saturday night, twenty one year old Randy Vasquez was fatally stabbed at this bus stop in front of the Benguche Community Center. His cousin, Anna Martinez was on the scene some minutes later:
Anna Martinez, Cousin of the deceased
Anna Martinez
“Well, his shirt had a big hole and the shirt wasn’t up but you could see the hole on the shirt and he was laid out on the ground. He was just there, lying with his head tilt to the right and his mouth was open. I think he was gasping for his last breath and that’s it.”
Andrea Polanco
“When you guys got out there, it was probably around eight-thirty, so he was already dead?”
Anna Martinez
“Yes, he was already dead around eight-thirty.”
But around five that evening, Vasquez’s cousin-in-law, Angelita Cal, says she spoke with him and shortly after he was killed
Angelita Cal
Angelita Cal, Cousin-in-law of the deceased
“I was going to the store and I met him with the same boy that he was with, his friend, and I told him like this, I said, ‘Randy, I don’t want that boy back at my house because he disrespect me,’ and he said ‘No, Ang, he was drinking,’ and I said, ‘I still don’t want him at my house.’ And he smiled and went with us to the store and that was the last time I saw him.”
He was fatally stabbed twice, when he tried to break up a fight involving his friend and another young man. The scuffle started in the yard and later moved to the front of the bus stop. These blood stains mark the spot where he was stabbed. Vasquez started to walk away but later collapsed here on the street, where he died shortly after.
Anna Martinez
“According to his friends, deh mi gwein buy chicken and the young bwai mi di deh and the young bwai weh he mi di walk with supposed to have beef with somebody fah under the shed and right there the thing happen. The young bwai deh mi have deh lee difference and he gone in and try do what he fi mi duh and that dah mi it right deh fi he.”
Andrea Polanco
“So, as far as the family knows it was something that he started or he caused, he was just trying to stop a fight?”
Anna Martinez
“Yes, he just mi di try stop the fight and he dah di bad lucked one and that dah weh he get.”
Andrea Polanco
“So I understand he was stabbed twice, to which part of the body?”
Anna Martinez
“He have two stab to the left side of the body. One dah wah small one weh look like dah wah knife to the lower abdomen and wah big one, at least three inches or four inches wide to the chest. I think that dah mi the fatal one, you know.”
But while the family says that Vasquez was not troublesome, he associated with the wrong kind of guys.
Angelita Cal
“Well, Randy he is an easygoing person, very nice little boy. Always smiling and always running jokes.”
Andrea Polanco
“So, from what you know of him, he isn’t someone who is involved in street problems and things like that?”
Angelita Cal
“No, he’s not a problem child; he goes from home to work and work to home. But you see if those boys call him, he will go with them, but he is not a troublesome boy.”
The family says that the area where Vasquez was killed is a known ‘hot spot’ in Dangriga:
Anna Martinez
“Every night eight or seven bwai deh right dah di spot deh di heng out just di look fi trouble, everybody weh pass, they would torment, throw phrase or say something.”
Although the incident was witnessed by a number of residents, the family can only hope that justice will prevail. Reporting for News Five, I’m Andrea Polanco.
The official murder count, including Vasquez’s, now stands at one hundred and twenty.
I don’t favour hanging minors, but I do favour keeping them in prison until they are dead. It’s an appropriate penalty for the most serious crime. We don’t need people who can murder to live free in our society, no matter what their pathetic story.
I agree storm hang all murderers hang then high in plublic so all may see make sure they have vendors their selling panades and such so we can enjoy the spectacle but as long as this pm and gov. Are in power these murders will never stop so if you want to vote for more of the same which is murders murders murders vote udp.
i agree hang them!! hang them!! we are tired already. instead of feeding then prisoner, give that food to a child who can be a productive citizen in the future!!!!
what a pity youths killing youths. The gov should find alternative things for these boys to distract themselves and stay positive
as a concern citizen, an a non political affiliate… we must tink rational an know that crime is everybody problem not only the present gov.. or whoever it may be servin at the time, is true sumtimes the show no intrest but we must try do our part as well. an i tink until we start treating criminal like real criminals then we will strt see a change.. wen they go to prison its like they go on vacation sumtimes.. to hell with human rights in this case hang them!!!!!!!
Yes, I agree! The government should come back with the death penalty. I knew this young man that was taken from his family too soon and he was not a part of any gang or any problems. It’s a shame that his life was cut short so soon. This case and others like it, continue to be a huge problem in Belize and must be addressed sooner than later.
The government needs to get involved to stop the senseless killings that continue in Belize. I personally knew this young man and he was not the sort of person to become involved in any type of crime etc. He will be truly missed by his family and justice needs to prevail!
This is THE GREATEST LOVE….. TO GIVE YOUR LIFE FOR ANOTHER.
RANDY GOT A TICKET TO HEAVEN!!!
The KILLER……GETS A FREE PASS TO THE PRISON FARM for 25 years – TO LIFE!!!
There he CAN EARN HIS KEEP and CONTRIBUTE TO SOCIETY at NO COST TO TAX-PAYERS!!!!
see what happend when we try to help other people men what is this cold cold world coming to?
No one is been convicted as a result these heinous crimes will continue to plague our Jewel.Zero conviction rate is going to lead to 100% crimes.
Dangriga police need to stop allowing these boys and men from hanging out on street corners, and along the riverside. These people are a menace in our community. They harass people as they walk by and they also smoke their illegal drugs in these area. Passersby can smell the weed as they walk by. In addition, these people play loud music until, sometimes 3:00 AM and the residents in the neighborhood suffer (THE SILENT MAJORITY). In the past, when I called the police, they have done nothing. Another time they said, people can play their music as loud as they want, until 1:00 AM. The problem is that these boys or men do not even live in the neighborhood and they don’t work. They only hangout, look for trouble and make trouble. I am not surprised that this happened. WAKE UP DANGRIGA POLICE MEN AND WOMEN.
How long will the Belize government do nothing and let crime prevail? Do we need to go back to British rule for something to get done about this and other senseless murders.
The British government was taking care of Belize a lot better than what we experience today.
Maybe we need to go back to British rule again.