Kadeem Orozco, deceased
by Charles Gladden
BELIZE CITY, Tues. May 6, 2025
On Tuesday, May 6, a little after 8:00 a.m., Kadeem Orozco, 31, of the Conchshell Bay area of Belize City, was gunned down while walking on Ebony Street—marking it the third gang-related murder in the Belize District over the past week.
Orozco was ambushed by a single gunman who unleashed a flurry of bullets at him, killing him instantly at the scene. His body was found motionless in a nearby drain by police who responded to the fatal shooting.
According to reports received by Amandala from persons who were at the scene, Orozco was targeted not too long after returning from dropping off his young daughter at school for the morning, something he routinely had done.
“Fu hihn life da fu hihn pikni, yo undastan mi? We nuh pick up gun! Only God can reveal that person, and somebody who saw it happen, and if that person who saw it, comes out and lets us know,” said Teresita Orozco, aunt of the deceased. “No Orozco gives trouble. We nuh pick up gun because we see what it does. My sister got shot and killed; my other sister got shot in her leg; and this again? It isn’t fair,” she added.
Relatives of the deceased professed that Orozco wasn’t affiliated with any of the gang factions in the area. However, Dr. Richard Rosado, Commissioner of Police, shared a somewhat different view with reporters—noting that although Orozco isn’t a known street figure, he was, due to the area in which he resided and socialized, associated with a certain group in the St. Martin De Porres area.
“Presently, we are still exploring several theories to establish the motive, but we do know that his connection to a certain faction … while he might not be an active member of a group, the area in which he lives is associated with one of the affiliates in the Martin’s area,” Rosado said.
“We have increased police presence in all the areas that are affected. We have embedded our intelligence officers in all the affected areas to gather the necessary intelligence. We have also assigned or increased the investigative team to identify and disrupt this network and bring them to justice. We have intensified the targeted operations, looking for firearms and disrupting the gang activity. Criminals will take every opportunity to strike at their rivals. What happened this morning is an opportunity that presented itself. They decided to strike on that,” Rosado further outlined.
At this time, police believe that the string of murders that have occurred in the Belize District stem from the attempted murder of 27-year-old Jimmy Rojas on Saturday, May 3. Rojas was shot while he was on Tibruce Street in the Lake Independence area, which is considered the territory of the Peace in the Village (PIV) gang.
That initial shooting is believed to have led to the death of two men in rural Belize: 36-year-old Aaron Lindo in Double Head Cabbage, and 37-year-old Nelson “Mung” Henry in Ladyville, who were affiliated with rivaling groups, the PIV, and Back-a-land Crips (BLC), respectively.
Not too long after the Tuesday morning shooting occurred, the police proceeded to detain an estimated 60 known gang members, who they believe can assist in their investigations to identify those responsible for the string of gang-related shootings in the Belize District.
“With the different gangs, it’s a network; and with a network, it will require extensive investigation, and an extensive interview of all the players. Hence, the reason they were detained for the interview with the recent incidents that just happened,” Dr. Rosado explained.
A 6-month State of Emergency (SOE) is on the table, said Commissioner Rosado.