For over two days relatives of well-known basketballer Rennick Royon Reneau, 31, a former San Pedro Tiger Sharks player and former employee of Belize Times, were clueless as to his whereabouts, but thought he was safe.
At around 7:30 Tuesday morning, October 16, however, police got an anonymous call informing them of a body lying off a feeder road in the Vista Del Mar area of Ladyville. A man was seen lying with his face down, barefoot and badly decomposed on a dead end road, said police.
The man was wearing red ¾ jeans pants, black T-shirt underneath a pink long-sleeved shirt. A post-mortem was conducted on the spot by Dr. Mario Estradabran, but the cause of death was uncertain. The body was identified as that of Rennick Royon Reneau, 31, a messenger for Positive Vibes Radio who originally lived at #20 Lizarraga Avenue in Belize City. No signs of violence were observed on the body, said police.
The news shocked all those many people who knew the effervescent basketball star.
No missing person report had been made by relatives because no one thought it strange when he did not come home on Saturday night, October 13.
Reneau at the time of his death lived with his common-law-wife, Nioka Smith, at an apartment building located at the corner of Plues and Dean Streets in Belize City.
In addition to the cause of death being uncertain, the post-mortem certificate has indicated that Reneau’s time of death is also unknown.
Reneau reportedly had shown up for work at Positive Vibes on Saturday morning, and was there until 12:00 noon.
How and when he met his death is what now puzzles relatives.
Amandala spoke with Reneau’s sister, Odessa Bailey, who told us that a reliable police source told them that Reneau was involved in a fight at a bar on Friday night at a business place called Kim’s Restaurant and Bar on Church Street.
A police officer had pulled a gun at him, and he knocked the gun out of the police officer’s hand. When he did so, the gun went off and a single shot was fired, hitting the brother of the police officer in the right foot.
If the story sounds like a familiar story heard in the news this week, it is because it is the same incident that was reported by the police as early as Sunday, October 14. The report said that a man had been shot during a dispute with his brother, a police officer. This incident had occurred during a fight at a restaurant on Church Street.
Police said that, at 10:36 p.m., on Friday, October 12, 2007, CIB personnel visited the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where they saw Aston Lewis, 29, a resident of # 4-C Flamboyant Street in Belize City, suffering from a gunshot wound to the right foot.
Their initial investigation revealed that at 10:30 p.m. on the said date, Aston Lewis and his brother Lincoln Lewis, 23, a police constable, were socializing along with others at Kim’s Bar on Church Street when Aston and Lincoln became engaged in an argument and a struggle ensued, during which a gun went off. As a result Aston Lewis was hit, causing the said injury. It is not yet known who fired the shot or who was in possession of the firearm. Aston is presently admitted in a stable condition. Police have since detained Lincoln Lewis pending the outcome of investigation,” concluded the report.
This report mentioned that the two men were socializing with others at Kim’s Bar, but it never said who the others were.
According to Odessa, her brother was one of those others socializing at the bar, and the fight was as a result of jealousy between the officer and Reneau over a girl with whom both appeared to have been having a relationship.
In response to the family’s allegations, the acting Police Press Officer, Bartolo Jones, visited Amandala late this evening. He told us that the police are now investigating the two incidents to see if they are connected, especially because one of Reneau’s relatives called Radio KREM’s WUB show and voiced the family’s suspicions.
Jones told us that it was not until today that the investigating officer began looking into the possibility that the shooting incident involving the brothers and Reneau’s murder may be connected.
Odessa told the newspaper that Reneau had had his name and initials tattooed on his arms, and that police could have used that to identify him.
If not for the help of an ex-police officer whom she knew and called that day, she would not have known that the police’s “John Doe” was her brother, Rennick, because the police officer investigating the murder never called her that day after they had positively identified the body, said Odessa.
When we asked Jones what action was taken by police when they were certain of who the deceased was, he told us that at this moment he could not respond to that question because he would have to try and reach the investigating officer to find out what they did that day.
They want to know why the police failed to announce this information to the media.
Reneau had on a long sleeve shirt that had hidden his tattoos, but when the shirt was removed the tattoos were clearly visible. Reneau had two tattoos – one on the left upper arm, which said “Rennick,” and another on the inner part of the right hand, which said, “RRR,” the initials of his first, middle and surname – Rennick Royon Reneau, said Odessa.
The family feels that police knew Reneau’s identity and deliberately kept it from the family, said Odessa.
Jones denied the allegation, and said that police would be looking at all possiblities.
Police say they are seeking two possible eyewitnesses, said Jones.
On Friday night after the Church Street incident, the police officer was detained by police, but he was released without charge late Saturday evening, said Jones.
Yesterday at about 6:00 p.m., Rennick Reneau’s mother, Lavern Olivera, returned to Belize from a trip to Merida, where she had been receiving chemotherapy for cancer. She had not known of her son’s death until she was heading back to Belize.
Reneau’s basketball talent came to the public’s attention when he played with the San Cas UB team some years ago, said his friend, basketball superstar Keith Acosta.
Reneau is the oldest child of six for his parents. He had one son, Iqkwan Reneau, 2. He is also survived by his mother, Lavern Olivera; father, Alrick Reneau II, three sisters and two brothers.
Funeral services were held late this evening for Reneau after his body was blessed by Pastor Eugene Crawford at a service at the Lord’s Ridge Cemetery, said his mother.