BELIZE CITY, Fri. Apr. 10, 2015–Michael Horace Foreman, 32, better known as “Popeye,” a resident of Iguana Street Extension in the Collet area, and the son of a police superintendent, was shot to death around 10:30 last night, Thursday, April 9, while sitting on a bucket in a yard in Trench Alley.
His killer reportedly sneaked up from behind, and shot him in the back of the head. Police transported Foreman to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH), where he was then rushed to the Belize Medical Associates for a CT-scan to examine the extent of the injury he received. The scan revealed that the bullet was lodged in his head.
About three hours later, Foreman was returned to the KHMH, but died of his injuries at about 4:30 this morning, Friday.
Reports to Amandala are that the area where Foreman was shot was very dark, and that there was hesitation by policemen on patrol in the area, to go there. Also, there were numerous side paths into the alley. It was also unknown whether the killer was still lurking in the alley.
Superintendent Romero, chief of police’s Eastern Division Crimes Investigation unit, said that their investigation revealed that Foreman was with two other persons in the alley when he was shot.
Romero said that Foreman did not live in Trench Alley, but frequented the area to “hang out” with his friends, known to be from Taylor’s Alley.
Foreman is known to police, as he has been the subject of a number of investigations and has been arrested for various crimes. Police are looking for the other two persons who were reportedly with Foreman in the alley when he was shot. Both are known to police, said Romero, and police do not know the motive for Foreman’s murder.
Foreman’s murder is the third execution-style shooting to occur in ten days. Jamie Chavarria was killed on Monday night (last week) while walking through a very dark alley on Berkeley Street and Mark Rhamdas was killed on Wednesday evening (this week) while traveling on a motorcycle through an alley towards Albert Street West, along with his girlfriend, who was also shot.
Romero said that police are investigating to see whether there is a connection between the murders.
The murder occurred less than two weeks after police held a demonstration march against crime and violence on Friday, March 27. One objective of the march was to call on young men in the city to stop the senseless violence in the streets of the city. The march was held under the anti-crime initiative of community policing, known as the BLACK (Be Loving And Cease Killing) anti-crime program.
About 2,500 people participated in the demonstration.