The war on the streets between two Southside gangs continued on Saturday afternoon when a broad daylight shooting rocked the city.
This time the quarrelling gang members took their problems out of the Southside, where it usually happens, and into an unusual area of the city – in the Belama Phase II area on the Northside.
Saturday afternoon’s was the second shooting incident for the weekend. Cassius Myers, 32, had been gunned down the day before, on Friday, December 8, on Vernon Street.
But on Saturday, December 9, at about 2:30 p.m., on Albert Hoy Street near the intersection with Gwen Lizaragga Street in the Belama Phase II area, gunmen who were in a maroon Oldsmobile 4-door vehicle, identified as a taxi with license plate D-6066, opened fire on another vehicle which was occupied by well-known “Back-a-town” figures – Kenneth “Big Tom” Flowers, 29, a resident of #1-A Banak Street, and James Young, Sr., 46, Belizean tour operator of #3766 University Heights, who was in the company of one of his sons, a minor.
Although the shooting was witnessed by a number of people in the area, no one in the Belama area today wished to give an interview.
But according to police, their investigation into the shooting has revealed that Big Tom and Young, Sr., were in a vehicle on Albert Hoy Street when they were stopped by the occupants of the maroon vehicle.
Young and the driver of the other vehicle, identified as Brian Brown, 30, a resident of #7476 Fabers Road, were having a conversation when suddenly a passenger in Brown’s vehicle, name unknown, lowered the rear passenger side glass and fired several shots at Big Tom and James Young, Sr.
When the gunfire finished, Big Tom was shot in the left and right knees, left elbow and left upper back. Young, Sr. was shot in the left upper back. His son escaped unhurt.
Both Young, Sr., and Big Tom are tonight listed in critical but stable condition at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital.
This evening at about 4:15 p.m. Brian Brown was charged in court with three counts of attempted murder, two counts of dangerous harm and two counts of use of deadly means of harm.
He was denied bail and remanded to the Hattieville Prison until his next court appearance, scheduled for Monday, December 18.
At the scene of the shooting, police found six 9 mm expended shells.
Most of the recent shootings are connected to the other in some way, said Police Press Officer, G. Michael Reid.
The war intensified between the groups – known in the streets as George Street and Back-a-town, on November 13, 2006, when Kevin Anthony Parks was gunned down on Euphrates Avenue, police said.
Tonight police are looking for one other suspect, whose name and identity are known, but have not been officially released.
That suspect is a member of the George Street gang, as is Brown, police said.