BELIZE CITY, Tues. May 11, 2021– On Tuesday night around 9:30 p.m., a deadly exchange of gunfire took place on Armadillo Street. According to reports, a black Honda van with three occupants stopped at an Armadillo street address and fired shots at a group of persons who were on that property at the time. Those persons retaliated with shots of their own, which fatally injured the driver of the van.
As the firing of shots continued, two passengers of the van, 18-year-old Koby Sebastian and a 13-year-old minor, managed to escape the scene unscathed. When police arrived at the scene, they found the driver of the failed drive-by attempt motionless behind the steering wheel and identified him as 33-year-old Tyrone Young, known to many as “Bang”.
The involvement of a minor in this fatal shooting is a source of concern for many in the community, including the members of the Police Department. The Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams, said, “We really and truly have an issue with young people, where parents are not keeping a grip of their children, while their children are out on the street engaging with seasoned gang members to commit crime.” Commissioner Williams further noted that this is an issue that must be addressed.
Hon. Shyne Barrow, the area representative of the Mesopotamia area, where a number of recent shootings have taken place, said that the issue of crime in Belize should be prioritized. Barrow claims that he has not heard a word from the Minister of Youth, or the Minister in charge of Police.