The family of Dondre Brannon, 18, a student of Gwen Lizarraga High School’s Evening Division, is once again grappling with tragedy. Dondre was shot once in the abdomen last night and later succumbed to his injury whilst undergoing treatment at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH). A post-mortem exam showed that he died from internal bleeding.
Dondre, who leaves behind a 1-year-old sibling, is his mother’s eldest child, and is the nephew of the murdered “Brannon brothers,” Kevin and Phillip, who were both shot to death on Mother’s Day in May 2006.
Yesterday at approximately 8:30 p.m., Sunday, February 5, according to police, Dondre, a barber and resident of Antelope Street, was riding his bicycle on Central American Boulevard in the direction of Iguana Street. When he approached the Iguana Street junction, he was ambushed by a gunman who fired a single shot at him.
The bullet caught Dondre in the right lower abdomen. He was rushed to the Karl Heusner Hospital, but succumbed to his injury last night at approximately 9:35
His family told us that he had only recently celebrated his 18th birthday in January. We also spoke with Basil Brannon, Dondre’s father, and brother to Phillip and Kevin. Basil told us that, “I can’t take anymore.”
He informed us that he was alerted that his son was shot via a telephone call shortly after 10:00 p.m. yesterday, but that by the time he rushed to the hospital to see him, Dondre was already dead.
We asked Basil whether he believes the killing of his son was accidental, or if he believes that Dondre was targeted.
He told us he strongly believes his son was targeted for reasons that are unknown to him; however, he will reserve his personal views until the police investigation concludes.
In speaking to Dondre’s friends, Basil said, he understood that his son was, “coming from somewhere heading home, and they just shot him”.
Basil told us that he wishes for his son’s death to be of some significance to the community, in that, it would be a turning point in Belize for all families, and generations to come together and end violence against each other.
According to this heartbroken father, the one thing he will miss the most about his son is his, “calling me when he wanted something; we were more than father and son, we were friends; it’s a part of me that went missing.”
Basil explained that Dondre was an average teenager who was not in, or associated with, any gang.
In the early 90’s, Basil and his family buried a brother who had drowned, and since then, Basil’s two brothers, Kevin and Phillip, were both ambushed by gunmen while they were inside their car. The gunmen sprayed their vehicle with bullets, killing both Brannon brothers almost immediately.
Since that incident, two men were arrested and charged for the “Brannon brothers” murder; however, the case had since been dismissed and both accused were released.
Basil told us that he is not sure whether or not justice will prevail in this instance, but he is not expecting it.