3 shot, innocent murdered in Belize City
Orlando Reyes at age 13
Hell broke loose late this afternoon in gang infested area of the old capital. When the shooting subsided, one man was dead and two were injured. So going into the weekend, there is unease in the city. A News Five team is just back from the scene where it appears the murder victim was not the intended target as he was heading to a nearby store when the gunman opened fire, hitting him on the chest and hand. Orlando Reyes fled the area, but collapsed about two blocks away. News Five’s Jose Sanchez was at the scene when his parents arrived.
Jose Sanchez, Reporting
Late this afternoon at the junction of Orange and George Street, shots were fired and amidst the chaos of people running, three persons were shot. The intended target was Kevin “Breast’ Peters and one of his associates who were both shot. Peters was shot twice on both of his feet and his friend was shot once in the left foot. At the same time two other youths were in the area looking for a store to buy a shirt. One of them spoke about what happened when they heard the shots.
Voice of: Regent Street West Resident
“Bout half hour ago, me and young bwai name Orlando, known as Bam, we come from up stop cause we come from the canal because we gwen buy a shirt. All of a sudden when we di ride by ram shop, we see wah man just spin around pan his bike and start shoot at some young bwai and ketch dehn. And then when we turn ‘round, he see me and Bam front ah he and he start shoot at me and Bam. I run into the Turks and Bam I noh know where he disappear to. I mi think he get away but now they find ahn yah.”
Jules Vasquez, 7 News
“Why didn’t you get…”
Voice of: Regent Street West Resident
“We just mi deh front and he di pass the street fi go buy wah shirt.”
Jules Vasquez
“Is he someone known to you?”
Voice of: Regent Street West Resident
“No. first time me see he—me noh even know he.”
Jose Sanchez
“But you yourself, which area are you affiliated with because it sounds like a turf war?”
Voice of: Regent Street West Resident
“Well actually we dah from King Street. we noh ina fi dehn war. They shoot after some Pregnant Alley; we noh ina that war. He just see we in front ah he and he start shoot atta we mussi fi clear outta di way. that dah right yah pan Orange Street. Somebody get hit up right by the Barber Shop too. Same time they shoot after that person, they shoot atta we too.”
Jules Vasquez
“And this guy who fired the shots, have you seen him before?”
Voice of: Regent Street West Resident
“Sir ih face look familiar, but I noh really know dah who.”
Jose Sanchez
“You can’t associate him with either Taylor’s Alley or George Street?”
Voice of: Regent Street West Resident
“No, no. I probably see him before but I noh know where he from.”
Jules Vasquez
“So you thought your friend mi get away, but when you come here, you find he dead.”
Voice of: Regent Street West Resident
“I find he dead. I ask the man dah the Turks fi check me see if I noh get shot too. The man do so atta me. About five shots he fired front ah we and then afterwards he fired about six after dehn bally and fire the rest atta we.”
Twenty year old Orlando Bam Reyes fled the shooting scene and made it all the way to Mike’s Club at the corner of Regent Street West where he collapsed and died on the stairs. He was shot once on the left hand and twice in his chest, even though he was an innocent bystander. His father, in the red shirt, came to identify his body. A few minutes later, his distraught mother, Maude Gordon, arrived on the scene. Later in the afternoon, her best friend sat at her side and spoke for the family.
Shanine Neal, Friend of Victim’s Family
“As far as I know, he dah noh like any other youth struggling, trying to make it. From what I understand, I’m not really sure what happened today, but just understand that he went out to buy a t-shirt, made a call to someone to ask them exactly where the store was and that’s when they shot him.”
Jose Sanchez
“He’s clearly an innocent bystander in the situation, but who was he to the family? What was his life all about?”
Shanine Neal
Shanine Neal
“Like I said, he was living in the States and he came back to Belize and of course his mom cannot talk right now, but he’s survived by his mom. He was like a little brother to me. I would take it like that. He wasn’t doing anything per say. He wasn’t working at the moment; just an all a rounder I should say.”
Jose Sanchez
“But the tragedy of what happened, as his mother was saying, no one believes that this kinda thing could happen to their family. It just can’t.”
Shanine Neal
“Well to be honest with you, nobody expects something to happen like that to them until it actually happens. But from my perspective to be honest with you, I’m not going to be somebody that comes on TV and say oh he didn’t give any trouble and stuff like that cause what is trouble. What can I say, I have no idea to be honest with you, I have no idea why this happened.”
Jose Sanchez
“It’s just fate; just being there?”
Shanine Neal
“No like I said, there is no way we can keep track of everything that somebody does, but the law can. So the books are always right and it can prove what type of person he was to say leading up to ok say this was revenge or something like that, but my opinion is whoever did it meant to get him because they shot him three times I believe. So it’s terrible. Last night we said tomorrow da fi our kids. That’s messed up because normally we woulda go out on Fridays. But who woulda want wake up to a Friday morning or an afternoon like this? It’s really sad.”
Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.
No one else to blame but this useless incompetent pm and gov.
My heart is filled,there is tears in my eyes…What is happening to my country? can’t the government see what is going on? PLEASE START TO HANG THESE MURDERERS.soon there will be no youth to take care of their parents.I will never forget the last young man that they found in the cemetery ,Randy Coye after those animal beat him,stabbed him,sodomized him with a piece of stick,bashed his head with a tomb stone,shot him dead,and leave him there in the cemetery they walked as free men.They are out there again to kill and destroy another family look what is happening to our country something needs to be done mr.Prime minister.families are crying and hurting off these crazy killing I’m feeling the pain.PLEASE DO SOMETHING OTHER THAN TALKING TO THESE GANGS.HANG THEM AND STOP FEEDING THEM.
!@#$ THE TRUCE…..Mr Barrow please we beg you let the GSU do its damned job….we THE TAX PAYERS aka VOTERS…..are tired of getting murdered…
If things continue like this soon enough you wont have tax payers only a murderers heaven because most law abiding tax payers will look at ways of moving to the USA or elsewhere…
Gang truce — what a BRILLIANT plan that was! See how well GOB made the City safe for the innocent citizens?
Murderers must die.
I say put reinforce GSU with the best of BDF, and turn them loose on the gang animals. Keep the hammer down until all of them are in prison or dead.
R.I.P. Buzzo, you will be missed but never forgoten. You will live on in our hearts, first you was just my older cousin now you my older cuzz and my gaurdian angel. Some day i will see you again in heaven
Your lil cuzz Winston (pappa)
Its just sad to see the incompetent government we have. Trying to negociate with gangs will lead to no where, just shows the weakness and lack of leadership on the governments part. instead the government should put the full force of the law against gang members…TRUCE WITH GANG MEMBERS IS NOT AN OPTION!!
How blind can my Belizean brothers and sisters be,Can’t you all see that the PM isn’t doing anything to address the crime situation?Murdering people has become a norm in the Jewel.Our Jewel has being turned to a mass graveyard by these coldblooded criminals.How many more people got to get murdered for this incompetent Government to do something.
the goverment dont give a damm about the pains the mother r going through .until it comes knocking at there door . iwould hope so to so they can feel what others feel . start heng them fool mr.prime minister before they come get u .
The red, white and blue flag is getting stained with all the innocent blood being shed. Our youths are seeing these things and are grasping it as a normal thing to do. What will happen tomarrow? Sad thing.
We are blaming the government when we are the ones who allow them to continue this way. If they are doing such a poor job (which they are) then why we don’t do something to remove them like other countries do? We going to die innocently one by one. For all we know it may be our same politicians paying hit-men to do the job of ‘Racial Cleansing.’ Wake up Belize?
I meant to say “Ethnic Cleansing”…
Negogiating with criminals is plain stupid-they now de facto run the country at the tax
payer expense, and the 99% of good honest people are in fear for their lives–the
government knows who they are with moles and tips, and the solution is obvious:
Find an elite non-bribable force, and trace them down, and arrest ALL of them at a
predermined hour–this assumes that the government workers are also not being
bribed, and have no monetary incentive to warn the gangs-since corruption in goverment
offices is so rampant, It would have to be run secretly with only one honest person
in charge-perhaps a retired general with loyal troops at his command.
Wake up gob, hang them high, remember the British, you all grew up in that system, those were the best days of Belize, the real jewel, not this hell that we now live in. This is very embarrasing to the world. This gob looks like idiots, and the gangs savages in the eyes of every decent citizens of the world, come on gob start acting maybe that is exactly what you all are doing acting, but I am saying start making Belize safe again.
I am a regular Visitor of Belize,love the country a lot, but with the shooting and murdering of innocent lives that are taken away so often has concern me very much.I am wondering what the government and most of all the Prime Minister is doing about this crisis.Many tourist visit this country as it is a beautiful country but i guess now we will be afraid to visit the country. Mr Prime Minister you need to make a change very soon even now.This is a crisis in your country.Calling on all the Christians of Belize seek the Lord fervently and pray for your government they need Jesus.
It is so sad what happened to Belize the police and government know who all doing the shooting in the city, they need to get serious and make a change for the future of Belize because we will not have no young men to be policemen, BDF, firemen etc borrow need to smell the coffee until it happen to one of this own then they will do something about the situation. I pray for peace.
I dont think the goverment is the problem. The problem its the dam human rigths they are the ones jumping as soon as someone will get heng and also looking after the under age criminals and many of them are murderers. Every single country have the dead penalty, why dont we? Dont wait until is too late tomorrow mite be one of yours. I know if this happen to any member of my family i will be the worst serial killer ever.
I agree with with both citizen #2 and visitor. First, we need to come back to God and secondly, we need the british to come back and help cleaning up the mess. All this nonsense about gangs stemmed from the coward and trash that the US deported back to Belize. “Truce” there is no such thing, it is just a time bomb set aside waiting to be explode, and a word used to distract folks. Gangs are cowards feeding upon the young and innocent for the love of easy money, intimidation and control through drug and racism. I grew up in Belize and we were a country of love and peace We had respect for one another and we enjoyed life Now we are losing our children to these so called gangs who have no respect, morals and values for life. Therefore, they need to be thought the hard way. Belize needs a separate prison for these so called gangs, away from the other minor criminals. As soon as they are deported to Belize they should be locked up for the remainder of their probation or parole. Give them no chances to be out to corrupt or intimidate our children. They should be fed just bread and water and let them deal with each other. They will learn the value of the precious gift that God has granted us “LIFE” and what He wants us to do which is to love one another as He loves us.
Now pertaining to the government, I think they should be locked up too and given the same treatment for encouraging this situation, but who can you blame for having them there. The people who voted them in position. Belize need to change their ways of running and electing people into government. Frist of all, you need to get rid of all the spoiled apples that are already blind for money. Second, you need fresh young educated mind who wants the best for our Belizeans, who will work with our Belizeans because base upon what I have read and seen instead of giving our people the opportunities grow and develop Belize, the government would rather give it to the foreigners. Why do you think drugs are in Belize too, why is this? It is simple, they get a cut of the money too to keep quiet and let them do their business. Shame, Shame, Belize has a lot of riches and there is plenty for everyone. So my belizeans the ball is in our hands, we can have the Belize we had before and if we need the help from the british lets reach out to them. They will never abandon us, because they have always been there whenever we really needed them. Wake up my belizeans come together and fight for your rights and freedom, because you do have rightss. With that said, I pray that God watches over my Belizeans and bless us all and give us guidance through this battle.
I NEED TO HEAR FROM THE MINISTER OF POLICE, WHAT ARE HIS PLANS TO STOP ALL THESE MURDERS?
PLEASE POLICE MINISTER, DON’T JUST RIDE AROUND IN YOUR EXPENSIVE VEHICLE, AT OUR EXPENSE, JUST DON’T WALK IN OUR POLICE STATIONS AND CHECK HOW HE OFFICERS ARE DRESSED, DO SOMETHING ABOUT CRIMES FOR GOD SAKE, THE NEXT VICTIM COULD BE YOUR CHILD, PLEASE THINK ABOUT THIS
Crime, Crime, Crime and More Crimes………….. and worst of all murders. Headline News in our everyday news cast. I think our laws need to be reviewed and re-enforced, look at the time when GOB called for de-tinting of vehicles, cell phones registration just to name a few, Gov,t said all this was to address crime and violence in our jewel but now as i drive through every district i see most vehicles with dark heavy black tint. Where is the authorities or the Gov,t agencies to re-enforce such laws. The same way i think about the murders. These murderers are just walking away freely. We need to get something done. We take things for granted and keep our mouth shut. Belizeans it is time for us to tell the Gov’t that we are sick and tiered of all these nonsense. We need to unite and send a loud and clear message to our Prime Minister. Rememba dat da we put dem bunch a cronies whe den deh.
Hence Crime and violence has even escalated to the different districts since the PM shipped all these criminals to different district to alleviate crime in the city. Please PM lets put a stop to this battle, these Gangsters (Cartels) are taking the life’s of our innocent Belizeans and will soon rule over our beautiful jewel.
Peace.
To Rod: When was it ever that my actions don’t have consequences? What nonsense is this that the PM and the Government are to blame for the actions of others? Its about time we take responsibility of our own actions!!!
While i agree that the gov’t must be held partially responsible for negotiating with criminals please let us put the blame where it really belongs on the cold hearted youths who are senselessly killing each other. The government can negotiate till they are blue in the face but if these young people do not stop and think of the consequences of their actions nothing will ever change. When they go out and do these senseless shooting they hurt an entire family… neighbourhood…nation. Its a ripple effect that affects us all. While i totally agree that the gov’t is not doing nearly enough, there is only so much they can do because they cannot physically stop these young men from killing it must be a joint effort between the government, us the community and these youths….
The current problem is similar to what Brazil is experiencing at the Favelas and is something that Belize government need to adopt.
Anybody interested in knowing what I am talking about Google Favelas in Brazil or check the following link:http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/13/brazil-troops-raid-shantytown
A lock-down of the gang related areas, an exhaustive search of whoever and whatever goes in or comes out of the crime areas and a complete search of all houses is urgently required.
Trans — you got it right!!!!!!!!!!! This is the best solution i have heard——we have to try tell the Minister that ——— because it seems that all he and the senior brass of the police knows how to do is to put more foot patrols on the street and that will not help to deal with the issues in these areas. As the police go up the street you will hear shooting down the street. This has been happening for years!!!!!!!!
Lets promote that idea to lock-down the gang related areas — an conduct an exhaustive search of whoever and whatever goes in or comes out of the crime areas and a complete search of all houses in that area!!!!!!!!! Wonderful idea!!!!!!!!
Whats happening to Belize and our Belizean people killing each other? HMMMMMM we can only pray to God and ask for protection and guidance and be prepare because the unexpected is yet to come. We don’t know when it would be our turn by being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Why don’t these people stop the killing and forget and forgive and love each other and live in a peaceful country we once had.!!!
y are they killing i no nessisary
y deh wah kill the bwai madaz..
Everybody is not realizing that the prime minister Mister Dean Oliver Barrow has a law firm, The reason he is not trying to do anything about the crime is because it is filling his pockets and those of his colleagues. In simple terms, if their is no crime then they make no money, but if the streets are filled with criminals then obviously they will need lawyers to defend them. I even suspect that these criminals are in league with those corrupt government officials. We Belizeans should take examples from Latin America where if the leaders arent doing their jobs, then we all take up arms and force them to leave. The great and wise Albert Einstein said “If you want peace, then prepare for war”. We have to fight for what is right; people shouldn’t fear their governments, governments are the ones who should fear their people, because we are the ones who give them them power they have and we can just as easily take it away. I agree with what “trans” says. look at the favelas in Brazil, rich government officials using the youth to make them selves richer through drugs and crime. I say we should all march out on the streets and stand strong, not some of us all of us, over 500,000 Belizeans. We should march, they wont be able to stop us. the time for talking is over, the time for action is here and if we wait too long and give them too much power then it will be too late.
cry now…da unu same one vote in back da fool…..weh wa d try make gang truce dat never wa solve anythin…not saying dat GOB is to blame but u must kno dat barrow n dem bwoi de…da mi fren now d man haffi find sum new gang fi protect ah he cud k less bout ppl weh d suffer…wake up mein