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Darwin Lara, 35, targeted in retaliation for Baby Ethany Bennett’s death

HeadlineDarwin Lara, 35, targeted in retaliation for Baby Ethany Bennett’s death

Lara wants the world to know that although his house has been shot at and his wife injured, he had nothing to do with the death of Baby Bennett; he now lives in fear that he may be gunned down anytime.

BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Aug. 2, 2018– A tearful Darwin Lara, 35, a laborer of Arlington Drive, told Amandala this morning that an attack on his house, in which his common-law wife was shot above both ankles, was an act of retaliation by gang members for the shooting death of Baby Ethany Bennett, 3, of Gill Street, Belize City, who was asleep in bed with her parents when she was mortally wounded.

Lara said that a gunman fired ten to twelve shots at his house at about 8 o’clock Monday night, July 23, a little over a day after Baby Ethany was shot, and one of the bullets came through the house and struck his wife just above her two ankles.

Lara’s wife was taken to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where she was treated and then referred to a bone specialist to determine the extent of the injury to her feet.

Lara said that his wife is in great pain, and incapacitated, so he must care for her and their two babies, one three years old and the other ten months old. Lara said he cannot afford to stay at home because he has to work to pay his family’s bills, but he fears to go out because the gang members want him dead, even though he had nothing to do with Baby Bennett’s death.

Lara says that about 5 to 6 years ago, he was a gang member and had spent seven years in jail for a robbery. He said that he was one of the few prisoners who learned something in prison – he didn’t want to go back there and so, he walked away from the gang life after his release, and has been living a straight life with his 21-year-old common-law wife, and his children.

Lara said that the men who shot his wife are after him because they believe that Baby Bennett was killed by members of the gang he used to associate with, and because they can’t catch those gang members because they have a police presence near them, they have targeted him and his family in revenge.

Lara said he wants the world to know he is a family man, trying to earn an honest wage to take care of his responsibilities. Lara said he wants police protection until gang members realize that he is being wrongly targeted. He is asking members of the public to call him at his number, 667-8680, if they have any job to give him.

Inspector Wilfred Ferufino, Deputy Commander of Crimes Investigation, said that they have no official report of the attack on Lara’s family, but they have become aware of the incident and have since altered their patrols to cover the area.

He said police have launched an investigation into the shooting.

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