_{Photo: Giovanni Ramirez, deceased}

by Charles Gladden

BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Jan. 9, 2025

A well-known street figure was killed in a broad daylight drive-by shooting on Thursday afternoon, January 9.

_{Photo: Bullet ridden car}

The deadly attack took place on Amandala Drive sometime after 1:30 p.m., as 31-year-old Giovanni Ramirez, also known as “G” or “G Money”, of Seine Bight Village was driving a Ford SUV in the direction of Mahogany Street. At that point, Ramirez came under attack by someone in a passing vehicle, who fired approximately 12 gunshots from a fully automatic firearm in the direction of the driver’s side of Ramirez’s vehicle, which caused him to crash into a concrete fence across from Ferguson Digital Images, a stone’s throw from the St. Martin De Porres Primary School. The car in which the gunman was traveling then sped off.

Fortunately, no school children were hurt.

When nearby police officers arrived at the scene, they found Ramirez trapped inside the locked SUV, and attempts were made to break the glass of the left back window of the vehicle. When it was finally opened, Ramirez’s motionless body was seen slouched in the driver’s seat with bullet holes in the head. The officers hurriedly shut the door to hide the horrific sight from the public.

Ramirez is no stranger to the law. In fact, he was recently charged with being a member of a gang along with other offenses, such as handling an unlicensed firearm, handling stolen property, and wounding, among others.

Notably, he played a crucial role in the conviction of prominent attorney-at-law, Oscar Selgado, who is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence. Ramirez provided a statement and material evidence to the police, leading to Selgado’s conviction for abetment to murder in connection with an attempt in 2019 to have Marilyn Burns, a former client of his, killed. Ramirez had claimed that Selgado had proposed that he (Ramirez) carry out that killing in exchange for Selgado’s legal services.

Additionally, Ramirez was the prime suspect in the Troy Hyde murder that took place in the Jane Usher Boulevard area in February 2024, and the attempted murder of Ashton Myers on Freedom Street in March 2024.

With the killing of Ramirez, the murder count has risen to three in the second week of January. As of print time, no one has been detained in connection with Ramirez’s death.