Tonight, they informed us that two men had been detained, and they expect to arraign them in the Belize City Magistrate?s Court tomorrow.
Their initial investigations revealed that Bodden was attending to an old engine mound on a blue car, bearing license plate C-23757, when a young man on a bicycle rode up and fired about 8 shots at him.
The young man reportedly came from the direction of Central American Boulevard, and fired his first two shots at Bodden while the mechanic was under the vehicle working on it.
Josephine Logan, Bodden?s common-law wife, who had gone inside the home to get water when the shooting happened, said that Bodden had his licensed .38 pistol stuck in the side of his pants.
According to eyewitnesses, Bodden tried to come from under the vehicle after the second shot was fired. When he did, the young man realized that he was not dead. The murderer proceeded to get off his bicycle. He then approached Bodden and fired six more shots.
Eyewitnesses say that the alleged shooter stood there until his target fell to the ground. Police said that 5 out of the 8 shots fired caught Bodden, mostly in the facial area.
Bodden was attempting to reach for his .38 pistol, but was unsuccessful. He was trying to evade the gunman, but when the last two shots were fired, collapsed in front of his neighbor?s home, two houses away from his.
The deceased?s body was found in a crouched position in the drain. His left hand was on his side as if he was reaching for his gun, said police, who suppose that he tried to reach for his gun to return fire.
Bodden, for the past few years, operated his mechanic?s business from just in front of his home. He was a mechanic for about 10-12 years, Elizabeth informed Amandala.
The owner of the vehicle said that he had just left the area to go and buy the mound that Bodden told him he needed to repair the vehicle. He said that he had only been gone for about 20-25 minutes, when he returned with the mound and saw a gathering of people in the vicinity of where he had left the mechanic. He was shocked to hear that the mechanic had been shot dead.
Elizabeth said that although the family was aware that Bodden?s life was being threatened, they did not believe that anyone would have harmed him. She said that Bodden?s death should in no way be considered another murder associated with gang violence or drug-related. She described Bodden as very hard working and a man who did not make it his business to interfere with anyone.
Elizabeth revealed that her brother had recently bought and licensed a .38 pistol. Police had advised him to do so because of threats he was receiving over a pending court case.
On August 11, 2004, her brother had an altercation with a young man, who stabbed him in the back, she said. Bodden, said the sister, reported the matter to the Patrol Branch of the Police Department. No charges were pressed against the accused, said the sister. She said that she believes that this was the reason that the same man, accused of stabbing him in his back, had returned almost a month later, on September 2, with a gun.
Elizabeth added that the reason for the first altercation was because of misinformation. She said that a minor, on the day of the first incident on August 11, pulled down his pants and peeled his rear at Bodden?s mother, after which he went and sat on a vehicle. She said that her brother then told the child to get off the vehicle and go home.
The misinformation, Elizabeth said, came when two young ladies from the neighborhood went and told the father of the child that Bodden had just beaten his child. She said that this was the reason that Bodden was stabbed later that day.
Police said that Logan was the first one to make an official report on August 11. She told the police that she and her husband were inside when the accused stopped in front of the house and yelled the words, ?A wah kill yu.? Her husband did not even go outside to approach the person. Reports are that the accused attempted to fire at the house, but the gun snapped.
Police added that the husband came later that same day, on August 11, and he made a formal report. The matter was reported to Criminal Investigation Unit. The man was later apprehended and charged for threat of death.
The accused had appeared in the Belize City Magistrate?s Court #4 before Magistrate Margaret McKenzie, yesterday, Wednesday, February 9, when Bodden and Logan were supposed to testify. This was to be the final session.
The case was adjourned when the defendant?s lawyer, Bernard Q. Pitts, requested that the magistrate kindly give him another day for the final adjournment, as he had another case to which he had to attend. The magistrate approved and gave Pitts the extension, setting the final adjournment date for April 8.
Bodden, who was in fear of his life, was disappointed at the delay.
The deceased?s common-law wife believes that he was killed because of the same court case. Josephine Logan informed the Amandala that they were aware that he was being watched this morning. They observed a young man ?circling? the area.
When she went inside to get some water for Bodden, she heard the gunshots. She returned outside to find her common-law husband dead in the drain.
A post-mortem is scheduled for tomorrow, February 11, at 1:30 p.m. No funeral arrangements have yet been made for Bodden.
Lloyd Bodden, Jr., leaves behind his two sisters: Eleanor Bodden and Elizabeth Parkinson; two brothers: John and Erlindo; one child of Cayman Islands: Lloyd Bodden III; his common-law wife, Josephine Logan; his mother, Marva Bodden; his father, Lloyd Bodden, Sr., and a host of other relatives and friends to mourn his death.