_{Photo: Kadeem Babb, deceased}

by Charles Gladden

BELIZE CITY, Wed. June 26, 2024

A security guard, working at Sadie Vernon Technical High School on Amandala Drive in the St. Martin De Porres area of Belize City, was killed while he was on duty at the school sometime during the night on Tuesday, June 25. His body was discovered by the employees of the school the following morning.

According to reports, sometime during the course of the night, the victim, 28-year-old Kadeem Egbert Babb of Belize City, was stationed inside the security booth, which is located inside the school compound in front of the main entrance of the school, when he became the target of a gunman who fired as many as three gunshots in his direction.

Those bullets penetrated through the aluminum louvers of the security booth and wounded Babb. An injured Babb fell onto the floor of the booth, and he died at the scene.

“I was completely shocked,” said Deborah Martin, principal of Sadie Vernon Technical. “He was the last person on my mind last night, and the first person this morning, because I was coming to process salaries. It’s tough,” she added.

Martin explained that she was given the tragic news as early as 7:00 a.m. She said that when the school employees arrived, the main gate was locked, which prevented them from entering the compound. This prompted them to go to the security booth, where they found a deceased Babb.

“They looked around the booth area and noted that on one of the window blinds, there were bullet holes. So that called them to action, and my office assistant jumped the fence onto the compound. We had to get a hammer to open the door so we could see what had happened, and they found him lying down on the ground,” she noted.

Speculation arose that Babb might have been a witness to a murder that occurred over the weekend at the junction of Mahogany and Santa Barbara Street – a short distance away from Sadie Vernon High School – and that the gunmen targeted him for that reason. However, Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams told reporters that this was not the case.

“From what we have been made to understand, there may have been some issue between the security guard and another individual, which is not gang-related, and the police have obtained surveillance footage from the school. We’re viewing that footage now and hopefully, we’ll be able to identify who the individual is, and they should be able to make an arrest,” he said.

“We do have police officers in the Martin’s area working, but the police officers have to move around; they cannot stay in one area. Criminals will take advantage of whatever opportunities they may have. The fact that it is not gang-motivated; you have an issue with somebody; you go after the person where they work. I don’t see how it is going to be possible for the police to deter that from happening,” he added.

So far, no arrests have been made in connection with Babb’s murder.

Babb’s murder is the first to occur since the State of Emergency came into effect earlier this week as a result of the heated tension between rival gang factions within the Lake Independence area and other areas of Belize City.

Principal Martin described Babb to Amandala as an outstanding employee, and a friendly and outspoken person who would stand up for anyone, which may have led to his death.

He had been employed at the school since 2021.