Citizens of the old capital are still nervous tonight over repercussions they believe might erupt from the unprecedented killing of two of the city’s major gang figures — boss of the George Street gang, Shelton “Pinky” Tillett, at the hands of Taylor’s Alley gang leader, Arthur Young, according to police, and the death of Arthur Young himself, at the hands of the police.
It has been a bloody weekend, from Friday to today, Monday, with a number of shootings and four murders over the 4-day period, apart from the death of Young. But this morning at a press conference, Police Minister John Saldivar told the media that the government’s gang truce “is holding.”
In the middle of the morning press conference, however, while the Minister was telling the media that there was a “new” plan in place and that the police and BDF were out in force patrolling the city, news was received that there was yet another shooting in the city.
This morning, Monday, Corrington Bowden, 40, was shot on Freetown Road. His condition is listed as stable.
We go back to the main saga as it began to unfold late Friday night.
George Street don Shelton “Pinky” Tillett, 31, was shot to death shortly after 11 on Friday night, April 20, at a gas station in the city, and with him died a female friend who was in his vehicle.
Information to this newspaper is that Shelton “Pinky” Tillett and his companion, Kamill Andrews, a poster girl/model for a popular city boutique, were followed from Ladyville. Police say that when he stopped at the Coral Grove Gas Station for fuel, about a mile up the Northern Highway, around 11:15 p.m. on Friday, Pinky Tillett got out of his vehicle to go into the store to purchase some items; at that point a gunman, wearing a mask on his face, exited a vehicle that had pulled up behind them, and opened fire on Tillett and Andrews, hitting them multiple times.
Tillett was shot in his head and chest, while Andrews was shot in her chest. They were rushed to the Karl Heusner Hospital, where they were both pronounced dead on arrival.
Tillett’s friends on George Street told Amandala that Tillett had been hanging out with them and relaxing earlier that evening, when around 11:00 p.m. he got into his vehicle and drove away, and shortly after, around 11:15 p.m. that same Friday night, April 20, they got a call informing them that he had been killed. They rushed to the hospital but he had already been declared dead.
Tillett’s mother, Lavern August, said that she was in the Princess Hotel that Friday night when she received a call that her son was at the morgue. She said that she did not go, and has still not gone to see him, because it was too hard for her. She said that this is the second son that she has now lost to gun violence; the first was Dean Tillett.
Just eight hours before Tillett’s murder , on Orange Street, three persons had been shot; one, Orlando Reyes, 19, died.
After Pinky Tillett’s murder on Friday night, police shut down the city, ordering all the city’s night clubs to close. A task force of heavily armed police and BDF officers patrolled the city in an effort to contain the violence that they were certain would occur with the gang leader’s death, especially since it was rumoured that police were looking for the boss of a rival gang, Taylor’s Alley Gang, in connection with the killing.
On Saturday, however, Peter Flowers, Jr., 26, was executed around 4 p.m. on Caesar Ridge Road, suffering a reported 21 gunshots, and shortly after 9 that night, Larry Sutherland, 40, was shot on Racoon Street Extension. He is listed as being in a stable condition.
That same Saturday night, there were reports that some of the city’s shops and supermarkets had closed early, fearing added violence.
Then, on Sunday night, shortly after 11, Arthur Young, reputed leader of the Taylor’s Alley Gang, was killed by police, whose official version of his death is that he attacked an officer in the pan of the vehicle in which he was being transported, and tried to take away the officer’s gun.
According to a police report, “Young was shot in his chest during a scuffle with police while being transported to the Queen Street Police Station from Ladyville, by police, around 12:30 a.m. Sunday April, 22 on the Northern Highway.”. The report claims that while the police officershad been conducting a search operation at an abandoned house in Vista del Mar, “shuffling was heard inside”, and that “the house was eventually breached and inside of one of the bedrooms, Arthur Young was found. He attempted to escape, but was apprehended.” The report claims that while the police officershad been conducting a search operation at an abandoned house in Vista del Mar, “and that
The police press release, dated Sunday, April 22, 2012, went on to claim that, “whilst being escorted to the Eastern Police Division in Belize City a struggle ensued between Young and officers inside the pan of the police vehicle as he attempted to disarm one of the officers. The firearm discharged and resulted in Young sustaining injuries. Young was rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where he pronounced dead on arrival.”
Young was the known leader of the Taylor’s Alley gang, and had had many run-ins with the law. Recently, he had demanded an apology from the police who were on an anti-drug operation in Taylor’s Alley, after they had rounded up some gang members, including him, Young, and beat them up. Although the police high command had apologized, he had said that that was not enough.
Young, who was a CYDP supervisor, was no stranger to police. He had a long list of charges, but has never been convicted. His most recent charges were for possession of prohibited material and failing to report as a deportee.
He had maintained to the media that he was targeted by the police every time he would report to the station, and that’s why he stopped going. But Young has beaten far more serious offences.
He was captured by Mexican authorities in Chetumal in May of 2011 after being on the run for a month following a major drug and weapons bust at a residence in Vista Del Mar. Young, along with his friend, Errol Haynes, were jointly charged for possession of marijuana, trafficking crack cocaine and possession of prohibited material. And he went into hiding.
He was extradited to Belize in July, and other charges were levied against him. However, in court, the charges were withdrawn and he was freed, but he had announced that he would sue the Police Department.
Young had the dubious distinction of being listed as Belize’s most wanted man in 2007.
Young eluded police and went to the United States, where he was on the lam for around two years.
However, the authorities caught him and he was returned to Belize. He was handed over to the police, and taken immediately to court to answer the charges. The charges were later withdrawn and he was again a free man.
Besides these, there were other run-ins with the law, including for the murder of Jose Chavarria in 2002. He similarly fled Belize after that murder, but was deported in 2005. The murder charge was later dismissed. Young will be buried on Friday, April 27, in Belize City.
Tillett’s family said that his funeral services will be conducted on Saturday, April, 28 at St. John’s Cathedral on Albert Street. The viewing will be held in the church from 1:00 p.m., and the services commence at 2:00 p.m. He will be interred at the Homeland Cemetery on the Western Highway.
As we go to press tonight, the armed patrols continue in the old capital, with many citizens jumpy and afraid to venture out after dark, especially in areas of the city known to be home to the various affiliated gangs.
Other reports of violent deaths include the news that yesterday, Sunday, one Luis Valladarez, of Belmopan, was found chopped up on the road side; he later succumbed to his injuries. And a body found decomposed on the Boom-Hattieville road last Thursday, April 19, has been identified as that of Glenford Gustavus Jemmot, 49, of Hattieville. The cause of death was due to massive brain damage due to head trauma as a consequence of a blunt object.
(Story researched by Albert Ciego)