Victim was shot 7 times; motive unknown

New Year’s Day brought nothing new in the line of lethal violence to this tired city. In fact, there seemed to have been no let-up from the killing from the previous year, 2012, which closed with 146 murders.

The year 2012’s last murder was that of Carlita Sienna Williams, 20, who was shot to death on Sunday, December 30, in Punta Gorda.

Just two days later, in Belize City, on New Year’s Day, at about 9:30 p.m., Orlando Sylvester Williams, 45, a labourer of Dean and West Canal Streets, was ambushed on Dean Street and shot a reported seven times; he was pronounced dead on arrival at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital.

Police, when they arrived at the scene, found Williams lying on the street side, shot up and dead. Police say that at about 9:45p.m., Williams was at the corner of Dean Street and West Canal talking with a friend when a gunman came walking up Dean Street from Plues Street and shot him. The gunman then ran back into the area and disappeared into the night.

Williams now awaits a postmortem to certify the cause of death.

Police retrieved seven 9mm expended cases, a slug and a copper jacket. They say they are seeking a Belize City man, known to them, for questioning.

The motive for the death is yet unknown, but street talk is that it was in retaliation against police after they detained members of different gangs at the Queen Street Police Station for crime prevention. When they were released, the allegation is, the gang members shot anyone.

Orlando Williams was a well-known maintenance man; he was well respected by many from around the neighborhood.

Williams was the father of two daughters; he lived in Mexico, but worked in Belize. He would frequently go home, and was again scheduled to travel home on Saturday to be with his family.

His brother said that he was planning to go back home to take his wife to see a doctor, because she was not well. He was the eldest of 6 children.

No one has yet been arrested and police continue to investigate.