3 wounded, one critically, in vehicle ambush
They managed to cheat death, but five occupants of a pickup truck driving in Belize City last night have reason to be fearful. Somebody, it seems, was out for their heads. News Five’s Jacqueline Woods has the story.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
One of the shooting victims had just gotten a haircut at a barber shop on Dean Street. The group of friends then got back into this Nissan Frontier when shortly after heading out they came under fire. The bullets, believed to have come from a high powered weapon, bore through the vehicle?s front and back windshields, bumper, windows and tire. There were five persons inside the truck?s cab. One of the bullets penetrated the driver?s seats headrest and struck James Sanchez in the back. A passenger identified as sixteen year old student Dejon Martinez received a bullet wound to her left knee.
G. Michael Reid, Police Press Officer
?At this point the police are investigating to determine what exactly caused it, what happened here, what transpired before.?
The other occupants have been identified as twenty-three year old James Swan, Junior; fifteen year old Gilbert Young; and seventeen year old Lester Young, who received a cut wound to the right hand. As police try to discover the motive for the shooting, authorities are convinced that the incident was not a random act.
G. Michael Reid
?And that?s the interesting thing Jackie, because as you know there are many times when we hear of these incidents. If people who are really in the media and looking at the news would think that they are random shootings occurring, [but] for the most part, many of these shootings do have motives and that?s the challenge of the investigators to try to determine what the motive was, and that usually assists in getting to the bottom of exactly what transpired.?
Jacqueline Woods
?Now we understand that the person who opened fire on the vehicle is described as?or I should say they are both of them because they are described as two young men of dark complexion who were on bicycles and apparently they were lay-waiting for this vehicle and as it started to move off that?s when they fired shots.?
G. Michael Reid
?Jackie at this point it is pure speculation and we are not in a position to speculate. The police are investigating all of that and any report that we get.?
Authorities have detained one person for questioning. As usual the police are asking for the public?s assistance in solving this crime. Jacqueline Woods for News Five.
Sanchez remains in critical condition at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital.
