BELIZE CITY, Mon. Apr. 18, 2016–Kadeem Castillo, 19, of Madam Liz Crescent; Venancio Carter, 27, of Partridge Street; and Justin Belgrave of East Canal were shot in three separate incidents in the city on Saturday night, April 16.
Castillo was shot in the head and chest and died on the scene, while Venancio Carter was shot in the knee and elbow. Justin Belgrave, 37, was shot in the groin.
Carter was treated and has since been released from the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH), while Belgrave has been admitted to ward at the KHMH in a serious condition.
The first to be shot was Belgrave. Police said that at about 8:30 on Saturday night, Belgrave was standing in front of a Chinese store on Vernon Street when he heard the sound of gunshots, and he ran for cover.
Shortly after, however, Belgrave realized that he was bleeding from the area of his scrotum and knew that he had been shot. Police went to the scene and took him to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where he was admitted in a serious condition.
No one has been detained for his shooting.
At about 9:30, an hour later, Venancio Carter was riding his bicycle on Glynn Street when he heard gunshots being fired, and saw that his knee was bleeding. He then realized that he had been shot twice in the knee and once in the right elbow.
He was rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. Carter told police that while riding on Glynn Street, a man had been riding behind him, and he believed that the cyclist was the one who shot him.
So far, no one has been detained for this shooting.
The third shooting occurred at about 12:15 yesterday morning, Sunday, at an area on Madam Liz Crescent. Police went to the area and saw Kadeem Castillo, 22, of Madam Liz Crescent, Belize City, lying on the streetside. He had been shot twice in the head and twice in the chest, and had died on the spot.
Police said that Castillo and another man had been drinking on the road in front of a house on Madam Liz Crescent when a vehicle drove up and three men got out of the vehicle. One of them shot Castillo several times.
The men then got back into the vehicle and drove away. Residents reported seeing a grey vehicle drive away from the area.
Castillo was transported to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, but he was pronounced dead on arrival.
The spate of shootings came shortly after the boss of the George Street gang was shot and killed in Dangriga at about 7:00 on Saturday night, and many believe that the murder and the shootings are in retaliation for the death of the gang leader.
Superintendent Alden Dawson, Deputy Commander of Eastern Division South, told the media this afternoon at the Racoon Street Police Station during a press brief that they have no evidence that the shootings were in retaliation for the death of the gang boss.
He said, however, that the police are ready to intervene and address any retaliation.
No one has yet been arrested for any of the shootings.