BELIZE CITY, Fri. Mar. 22, 2024

Tonight, the ex-boyfriend of a woman whose boyfriend was gunned down last weekend, is behind bars after he allegedly pursued them both, the mother of his three children and her boyfriend, killing the new lover then fleeing the scene of the murder.

He was on the run for four days, but two days ago, the main suspect in the shooting murder surrendered himself to police and was arraigned this morning in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court on two criminal offenses, murder and aggravated assault.

He has been identified as 35-year-old Jamie Caesar Young, a construction worker of Mile 17, Philip Goldson Highway, Sandhill Village.

Shortly after 9:00 a.m., Ladyville CIB police escorted Young to the Belize City Magistrate’s Court where at around 11:00 a.m., he was escorted into Court #4 to be arraigned for the murder.

Inside Court #4, Young, in the presence of his attorney, Richard “Dickie” Bradley, was read two criminal offenses: murder, for the Saturday, March 16, 2024 murder of Damion Dominique Baptist, 30, a Belizean Bus Driver of Burrell Boom Village; and aggravated assault upon Laneedrah Amber Dawson, 29, a Belizean teacher of Grace Bank Village, Philip Goldson Highway.

The murder occurred between Miles 8 and 9 on the Philip Goldson Highway.

The sitting Magistrate of Court #4 told Young that the offenses for which he is before the court are indictable offenses, and so no plea would be taken from him; and due to the nature of the offenses, bail was denied and he was remanded to the Belize Central Prison until May 30, 2024.

According to the police report, on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at about 5:25 p.m., information was received from an unknown caller of someone who had been shot in front of Our Lady of the Way RC School between Miles 8 and 9 on the Philip Goldson Highway, Ladyville.

As a result, CIB personnel visited the area, where on arrival police observed a red in color Ford Fusion car with license plate # BZ C-44604 on the right side of the highway between Miles 8 and 9 with its front slammed into a lamppost, and with apparent bullet holes to the front passenger side glass window and on the bottom of the front passenger door.

The Initial police investigation stated that Baptist was travelling along with Laneedrah Dawson, heading from Sandhill Village to Ladyville, and upon nearing the HRCU Housing Site, Dawson saw her ex-boyfriend’s vehicle coming from the opposite direction. The driver of the oncoming vehicle reportedly attempted to collide into the vehicle Dawson and Baptist were in, and Baptist swerved off the road. At this point Jamie Young pulled up beside the driver-side door of the vehicle Dawson and Baptist were in and pointed his black in color firearm in their direction, and Baptist sped off.

Dawson and Baptist continued travelling towards Belize City, and along the way they observed that Young was trailing them in his grey-in-color Wingle 4-door pickup without license plates. Upon reaching in front of Tubal Training School, Young pulled up beside Dawson and Baptist and fired a shot at them, shattering the front passenger’s side glass of the vehicle. Baptist sped off and in front of the Ladyville RC School between Miles 8 and 9 on the Philip Goldson Highway, Young pulled beside Dawson and Baptist again, this time on the passenger side of the vehicle. Young then placed his hand out of his vehicle and fired a shot which caught Baptist to his head, causing him to lose control of the vehicle and run into a lamppost on the left-hand side of the road.

Personnel from an ambulance that was passing at the same time of the incident, assisted and transported Damion Baptist to the Karl Heusner memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival at the KHMH at 6:30 p.m. by Doctor Aguilar.

At the scene, Scenes of Crime (SOC) Technician Salome Smith collected blood swabs, and (1) Aguila Brand expended shell and slug was also retrieved from the scene.

Police later visited the KHMH where they observed the body of Damion Baptist with one apparent gunshot wound to the right side of the head, and one apparent gunshot wound to the left leg.