The senseless murder took place off Fabers Road in front of a dozen children

A routine visit to a friend’s house proved fatal for a Belize City resident last night as he and his colleague became the recipients of multiple gunshot wounds, which left one of them dead, while the other now has a bullet lodged in his thigh.

One of the victims, Dwayne Hilton Jones, 35, also known as “Diesel”, was on his way to visit his sister’s home – which is a stone’s throw away from his friend’s house – but had stopped to speak with Derrick Mahler, 42, when a determined killer burst in through the open gate, pulled out a firearm, and fired several shots at the duo before making good his escape.

According to police, Jones and Mahler were socializing at #4383 corner Baldwin and Custard Apple Streets in the Fabers Road area at about 6:30 p.m. when a dark-complexioned man rode up to the entrance of the gate and shot Jones twice in the left arm, once in the back of the left upper shoulder and once in the left armpit, while Mahler was shot twice in the left leg.

Jones died shortly after suffering the injuries, and today, when Amandala spoke to his sister, Dawn Lambey, she told us that her brother was an innocent victim of the shooting, who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

She said, “I believe my brother was at the wrong place at the wrong time. He lives with me and he gets up every morning, goes to work and comes back every evening, so it was not like he was in any gang.”

The sister, who is a nurse, told us that she was stunned when she was called to assist the shooting victims and realized that it was her brother who had been shot dead.

Lambey swore that Jones – who did not have any children of his own – could not have had any misunderstanding with anyone because he was never a gang member and mostly stayed at home when he was not at work, and played with his younger relatives.

She conceded that her family used to reside on Mopan Street, which is near to the gang-affiliated Mayflower Street area, but stressed that Jones was always a working man, and so she believes he was the victim of a random act of murder.

We also spoke to Yolanda Montejo, who is the mother of the other shooting victim, Derrick Mahler, who survived, and she explained that they were in their home when they heard a series of gunshots, and when she went outside, she saw that her son had been shot, but she did not immediately recognize the other shooting victim, who was lying face-down, apparently lifeless.

She told us that Jones – who was working in the cayes – was not related to anyone in her yard, but he frequented the location because one of her other sons worked with him, so he (Jones) would go to the yard from time to time to pick up groceries and other items she wanted him to take to the cayes for her son.

According to Montejo, Mahler – a former highly regarded elite cyclist who is now considered a mental patient – was hit once in the lower left leg and once in the left thigh, and although he is scheduled to be released from the hospital sometime today, one of the bullets is still lodged in his thigh.

She further explained that about six shots were fired, and on hearing them she started to panic due to the fact that almost 12 children, between the ages of 1 and 9 years old, were playing in the yard when the gunman barged in and started shooting indiscriminately without saying a word.

Montejo believes that Mahler – who was once the record holder of the KREM New Year’s Day Cycling Classic – was not the intended target because he did not have any known rivalries with anyone.

The Acting Officer in Charge of Belize City Police Precinct 2, Assistant Superintendent of Police Calbert Flowers, today confirmed that Jones was indeed the intended target, although they have not yet been able to ascertain a motive for the murder/shooting.

“At this time, we are still in the process of investigation; we have recorded several statements and we have interviewed several persons; however, we have no substantial lead at this time”, Flowers told us.

Jones’s murder is believed to be related to the shooting of reputed PIV gang leader Edwin “Drive” Flowers, 31, which took place in the same general area the night before, and ASP Flowers stated that investigators are “exploring all angles”, and are “certainly looking in that direction” to establish a possible relationship between the two incidents.

According to Flowers, an individual was detained this morning; however, he is not the prime suspect since they cannot link him to the crime as yet, since investigations are ongoing.

Police reported that three Aguila brand expended shells were retrieved from the crime scene.

In an effort to curb the spike in violent crime, police have “amped up” operations in the crime-ridden areas of southside Belize City and are attempting to “mediate” with some of the “known players” in order to hopefully restore a sense of tranquility to the affected communities.