Woman shot; third time family targeted

It seems like not a week goes by that a gunshot victim doesn’t tell police that he doesn’t know why someone would shoot him. For one Belize City family, that feeling is multiplied by three.

Dora Doniz, Aunt of shooting victim
“It is not only for one person, I’m talking for the whole city that needs help. Something needs to be done, police or patrols they need to do something because every minute somebody is getting killed.”

Jacqueline Godwin, Reporting
For three decades, the Pech family has been living at number nine Cairo Street. But for the past three years they have been living in fear of their own lives following a spate of violent incidents that included the murder and attempted murder of their loved ones.

The most recent event occurred at the residence around eight-thirty on Monday night. Thirty-year-old Maria Pech was shot numerous times as she stood in her yard pinning out her children’s clothes. The shooter, described only as a dark-skinned young man, gained access onto the property by jumping this back chain link fence. It is believed the gunman then hid in the dark and waited for his victim. Although the suspect demanded money and made off with a cell phone, reports suggest that the shooting may not have its roots in robbery.

Dora Doniz
“First, according to what I hear, they say where is the money? Then the person ask that shoot her, are you the person who work at the airport? This was a direct question to her and she said, yes I am the person who’s working at the airport.”

Pech who was shot in the left thigh and hip, right leg and finger remains at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. It is reported that after firing the shots, the shooter fled on foot … but not without leaving his cap as evidence.

Dora Doniz
“But this is sad because in the family we have been suffering a lot. It’s not only one person, it’s all because my sister, when this happen last night I thought she was going to drop.”

Maria’s aunt, Dora Doniz says on January fourth, 2005, her brother Hugo Silva was stabbed to death. Then on November thirteenth, 2006 Doniz’s nephew Jose Pech was shot five times in both legs by one of the gunmen who came and killed his neighbourhood friend Kevin Parks and left Park’s uncle, Charlie Moss paralysed. Today, Doniz appealed to the authorities to help the family before someone else gets hurt.

Dora Doniz
“I am upset, yes, because they are hurting my family, but I am not looking for revenge because revenge is from above. What I want is something to be done for this to stop not only for my family, but the whole Belize because every moment of the day you here somebody is getting shot and they are getting away. And nothing is being done, if we need help from outside to bring from the United States, from England, from somewhere.”

Police are looking for a suspect.