_{Photo: Kelvin Willis}

BELIZE CITY, Mon. Apr. 22, 2024

A Southside youth busted on Northside of the city, allegedly in possession of a gun loaded with 14 live rounds of ammunition, is tonight on remand at the Belize Central Prison.

He has been identified as Kelvin Brian Willis, 24, a mechanic of #9 Water Lane, Belize City.

Late this evening, police escorted Willis to the Belize City Magistrate’s Court where he was arraigned before a Senior Magistrate in Court #3 on two gun-related offenses which landed him behind bars.

In court, Willis, who was unrepresented, pleaded not guilty to one count of kept firearm without a gun license, and kept ammunition without being granted a gun license.

Allegations are that on Saturday, April 20, 2024, he had in his possession a firearm, namely, a 9mm pistol with markings, Daewoo9mm Para Made in Korea, with unknown serial number, for which a gum license had not been granted to him by the Firearms & Ammunition Control Board.

He was also found in possession of fourteen 9mm live rounds of ammunition.

Due to the nature of the offense, bail was denied to Willis, and he was told by the Senior Magistrate that it is his liberty to apply to the High Court for bail. He was therefore remanded into custody at the Belize Central Prison until June 27, 2024, when he is expected to be given disclosure in the matter.

On Saturday, April 20, 2024, at about 9:52 p.m., PC #1700, Reynaldo Bol and PC Kirklin Flowers were conducting an operation with other police officers when PC Bol’s attention was drawn to a dark-skinned male who was standing on the sidewalk on North Front Street. On seeing the mobile approach, the man started to walk away, and that made PC Bol follow him.

PC Bol identified himself to the man as a police officer and ordered him to stop; but, according to PC Bol, the man refused to do so and went under a fence; and that’s when he saw the man throw away an object.

At this moment, PC Bol said, the man uttered the following words to him: “Boss, dah only wahn lee bit ah weed I throw away.”

PC Bol cautioned the man, whose identity was later learnt to be Kelvin Willis, and made further checks of the area.

With a flashlight, PC Bol then conducted a search on Willis, where nothing incriminating was found on him; and then he escorted Willis back to the area where he saw him disposing of the object. That area was searched in Willis’s presence by police, which led to the discovery of a gun.