A teacher murdered

Michael Bucknor

There was an execution style murder early on Thursday night in Belize City. Michael Bucknor, the manager of Bingo King Apartments, was shot and killed on Fabers Road as he was conversing with a female friend. The bullet penetrated the back of his head, exited through the right eye and grazed the woman. Bucknor, who was also employed at the Tubal Trade and Vocational Institute, had just left a graduation ceremony when his life was cut short. As his family comes to grips with his murder, his nephew has been detained for questioning. Duane Moody reports.

Duane Moody, Reporting

The execution-style murder of sixty-one year old Michael George Bucknor has shocked his relatives and friends…and tonight one of his nephews has been detained for what the family claims is a hit. It occurred just after eight on Thursday night on Fabers Road Extension. The blood stain on the pavement is where Bucknor laid face up dead after he was shot once to the back of the head. He was talking to a woman when a lone gunman on bicycle road up to him from behind and fired the deadly bullet. Bucknor’s killer then rode off in the direction of the George Price Highway.

Patrick Thompson, Nephew of Murder Victim

“I was leaving from the hospital with my wife when she got a call from a friend telling her that my uncle just got shot…but he didn’t know where exactly; all he know that it was on Faber’s Road. So I speed up from the gas station and I came from the direction of Central American Boulevard and arriving just a little before Tony’s Grocery on Faber’s road, I saw a body on the ground. So I went closer and I could have identified that it was my uncle Michael Bucknor. When I reached there, I saw him lying on his back with the motorcycle as if though he was on the bike and he feel—one of his foot was under the bike and the other one over the bike and he was laying on his back. It looked as if though he got shot in the head in the back because his right eye, I believe it was where the bullet protruded.  I understand he was coming in the direction of his business establishment, the apartments, and he stopped and talked to a young lady and it was then a single gunman came from behind and shoot him.”

Bucknor was employed as an automotive instructor at Tubal Trade and Vocational Institute for three years. Just prior to his killing, he attended the graduation exercise at the institution at mile ten on the Phillip Goldson Highway. Ironically, at the ceremony, Bucknor performed a popular funeral song before giving the closing prayer. Thirty minutes after the event, he was killed.

Lyndon Bailey, Founding Director, Tubal Trade and Vocational Institute

“It is going to leave a hole. It is very hard to find somebody with his qualities to work back here at Tubal.  Last night I was trying to get him to stay with us and sit around with us so that we can discuss…but he was a bit agitated and hurried…ready to go and I don’t know.”

Lyndon Bailey

Duane Moody

“This was around what time?”

Lyndon Bailey

“About seven-thirty and then eighth o’clock we get the chokcing news that he was killed.”

Duane Moody

“You do believe that he was going home when that occurred noh?”

Lyndon Bailey

“Yeah…he doesn’t live in the Faber’s Road area, he lived in the King’s Park Area, but I know that he has some houses to the back there where he goes and collect rent. I think that maybe someone called him over to collect rent and he was ambushed like that.”

The murder has stunned his students who shared their sentiments on the killing.

Jevon Wade

Jevon Wade, Former Student

“When I hear that news, instant I start to feel really sad. Just last night I talked to him and run joke with him. It really get to me right. Dah wah person weh help out me. When I need something, ih help out me. So it really get over me like that. Ih like run joke to all of us—some ah dehn can’t take it, but I like run joke with him. I’ll really miss him.”

Jason Wade, Former Student

“Most of the time weh I like with Mister Bucknor, he always come ina my class, when he has food, he always share it with we and teach we wah lot. I wah really miss him a lot.”

Duane Moody

Jason Wade

“When were you made aware that he was killed?”

Jason Wade

“For my graduation yesterday, it gone good and everything. For the song weh he gone and sing, I ask he weh he sing this song about because he always sing this different song. And he said, he wah sing this song fi wah change. So I shake ih hand, hug up ahn, take picture with ahn; and when I reach dah school this morning, dehn tell me this morning. And I feel bad. I noh even wah work fi Mister B this morning weh I feel vex.”

Lyndon Bailey

“He’s a very fun guy, easy to get along with. You can ask him to do any errand and he would do it. In fact, he is one of our errand guy here at the school. He would do it with loving mind, loving heart; very fun guy when dealing with the students. But when time comes for work, he is very serious with what he does.”

Patrick Thompson

“My uncle is a person who is a straight up person. If you do something that he don’t like, he will tell you straight up…I don’t like it. that’s about it—you like it or not. But he dah wah straight up person; he noh wahn beat around the bush and say oh yo never shoulda mi do that. He was a straight up persons and I don’t know him to have any enemies.”

By all accounts, Bucknor was a fun, caring and loving person. So why would anyone want to take the life of the manager of the Bingo King Apartments? While there are speculations coming forward, a motive has not yet been determined. What we do know, however, is that his twenty-three year old nephew has been detained in connection with his murder.

Patrick Thompson

Patrick Thompson

“When the police checked him, he had all his belongings. It was no sign of robbery, so I believe it was a direct hit…he was the person. There was nothing to identify it to be a robbery because he had his wallet on him and all his documents.  Information that I have hearing, I am hoping and praying that it is not what I am hearing because it is very devastating of the news on the street that a family member is involved in it. And I am hoping, as I say, that it is not so. The person they are saying is responsible, I don’t see him as a person to want to do something like that. he is a cousin of mine and his father is actually the person from whom my uncle took the business over from. He is my uncle Sidney Bucknor’s son. And he was living at the establishment. So I noh believe he would do something like that to take out his own uncle.”

But whether that revelation is true or not, that relative is currently detained by police. Bucknor’s wife arrives in the country on Saturday and it is said that the body will be cremated and taken to the United States. Duane Moody for News Five.

A nine millimeter Aquila Brand expended shell was recovered from the scene.