LADYVILLE, Belize District, Fri. Jan. 26, 2018– On Thursday night police charged, Ladyville resident Jessie Mejia, with two counts of murder in connection with the Tuesday night shooting on Marage Road, located in an area of the village known as “Japan.” Mejia was also booked on two counts of use of deadly means of harm, one count of wounding and one count of grievous harm.

Police are alleging that Mejia, 24, was one of two armed men who climbed through some high bushes around a swamp to ambush a group of men who were socializing in front of the Spain’s  Marage Road residence.

Marlon Spain, 25, and Casey Lozano, 24, were shot dead, while Sidney Humes, 47, and Johan Gray, 22, received gunshot injuries.

Lozano’s mother, Cynthia Lozano, had told our newspaper that her son had just left her home about two minutes before the shots rang out. She never imagined that she would have found him with gunshot injuries to his back.

Randolph Spain, a brother of the slain Marlon Spain, who is also an uncle to Johan Gray, who was injured in the shooting, told Amandala that Marlon had just stepped outside his house with a cup of water when he was shot to the head.

According to him, Gray was seated around the table in his kitchen having supper when he was shot.

Humes, a passerby was shot by a stray bullet, police reported. Amandala has learned the shooting was in connection with the March 2016 murder of Rene “Fat Cat” Chavarria, 26, who lost his life on Marage Road due to gunfire.

Since Chavarria’s murder, there has been several murders as a result of intensified rivalry police sources say. In her interview with Amandala Lozano’s mother also believes that the shootings are related to Chaverria’s murder.