Chinese grocer shot dead in Ladyville
It’s a familiar Belizean crime: gunman enters shop, gunman shoots proprietor, gunman runs away. The latest fatal robbery attempt occurred last night in Ladyville and News Five’s Jacqueline Woods has the tragic story.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
Thirty-one year old Weng Ger Zheng, better known as Alex, came to Belize five years ago and started doing business from inside his grocery shop on Mirage Road in Ladyville. On Tuesday night, a pair of robbers ended it all by shooting and killing the young, single businessman. Weng was found inside the establishment lying in a pool of his own blood. Witnesses say he could not speak to them, but only gasped for air three times before dying.
A.S.P. Chester Williams, Officer Commanding, C.I.B.
?Obviously from what we gathered during the investigation, yes, as they entered the store he was shot the first time and thereafter shot two more times after that.?
?From our investigation, it is obvious that the motive was robbery, money was stolen from inside his store. That is what we have discovered so far missing.?
Sources tell News Five that Weng, who was the owner of a licensed firearm, had no time to defend himself. According to reports, the gunmen, who were masked, quickly entered the store. It is not clear if there were any demands or an exchange of words, but at least the main shooter who stood at the shop?s entrance apparently told his accomplice to hurry in Spanish, ?Apúrate, apúrate.? As the men fled the area on foot, they reportedly ran into the path of an unsuspecting pedestrian, who the men threatened in English by saying, ?If you speak we will shoot you.? The gunmen then ran away into some nearby bush.
A.S.P. Chester Williams
?The matter is being looked at and we?re looking at it very meticulously; we are not ruling out anything. Every possible lead that we have we will ensure that we investigate it properly, leaving no stone unturned.?
This morning when police arrived in the area people expressed their displeasure over the way the authorities handled the investigation. Furthermore, neighbours say following the incident the police not only responded late, but treated them in a very rough manner. Officer commanding the Criminal Investigation Branch, Chester Williams, denied the charges.
Jacqueline Woods
?Do you think this is the way we want to proceed when the police are always asking the community to assist you guys??
A.S.P. Chester Williams
?We will always ask the community to assist and we will always appreciate the community assist in any investigation. However, the community must also understand that the police have a job to do and in doing so we may ask of anybody to leave a crime scene and at the same time will not allow anyone to come and hinder our investigation.?
Jacqueline Woods
?But there is a way that you can approach them. She is complaining about the arrogance of what that occurred.?
Chester Williams
?I am not going to comment about that.?
?I do not believe the police took long to respond.?
Jacqueline Woods
?One hour I think the neighbours are saying.?
Chester Williams
?That is not so. The incident?we were called around seven-fifteen and I personally, who came all the way from Belize City, I was here by seven thirty-five. I took twenty minutes to get here… And on top of that, when I get here the Ladyville police was already on the scene, so I?m certain that the respond time was more quicker than one hour.?
Jacqueline Woods
?Well I was told that only one police woman was at the Ladyville police station and that?s why nobody from that station could have responded.?
Chester Williams
?Obviously one woman was at the police station, but the police mobile was out on patrol. And she, upon receiving the call, she called the mobile and the mobile makes it way this side.?
Jacqueline Woods
?We noticed this morning you guys came out here to continue your investigation, why wasn?t this crime scene secured from last night? I mean the building was opened this morning, obviously the people affected were inside…I mean whatever evidence that you guys collected this morning could have been tampered with and then you just arrive on the scene and chasing people outside of the building, why didn?t you secure this crime scene from last night??
Chester Williams
?Jackie, I am the Head of C.I.B. in Belize City and I?m certain that I was not put there because I have a head on my foot. The crime scene last night, we did all that needs to be done in terms of collecting of evidence. The Scenes of Crime was out here last night, they came up along with me and we went through the crime scene very meticulously last night and we gathered what all we needed to gather. However, it is always good as an investigator to return to your crime scene during the day because there may be things that you could miss and during the day we can get a better picture as to what may have occurred at the crime scene. In regards to you saying about people being chased from the crime scene, yes, it is still a police crime scene and anyone must comply with the police in trying to gather the best evidence that we can in order to secure the crime scene, in order to get a conviction in a court of law.?
It was not the first time that Weng has been targeted. According to his friends, the shop will be closed and Weng?s body will be flown back to his family in China for burial. Jacqueline Woods for News Five.
Sources tell News Five that the police have detained one man, a Belize City resident, for the murder. Up to news time, however, this could not be confirmed by the police press officer.
