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Kyrone Green, 11, paralyzed; school marches in protest

HeadlineKyrone Green, 11, paralyzed; school marches in protest

Lake I Methodist School marches to protest the shooting of their student, who is paralyzed from the neck down

BELIZE CITY, Thurs. May 23, 2019– Classes at St. Luke Methodist School, also known as Lake I Methodist, located on Mahogany Street, Belize City, was suspended this morning as students and staff took to the streets to conduct a protest march to demonstrate their hurt over the shooting of Standard 4 student, Kyrone Green, 11, who lies in the Intensive Care Unit at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in a critical condition, paralyzed from the neck down.

Kyrone was on a shopping errand for his mother, at a supermarket on Central American Boulevard, when a gunman rode up on a bicycle and fired shots at a man who was standing in the store. The man was struck in his abdomen and he was taken to the KHMH where he received treatment and has since been released. Young Green, who just happened to be near to the man who was the object of the gunman’s wrath, was hit in his face by a bullet that ended up damaging his spine.

This morning, students from Standard 1 to Standard 6 marched from their school to the junction of Pen Road and Central American Boulevard, carrying placards they made and chanting, “Stop the violence!”, and “Put down the guns”. A Methodist priest said prayers, asking God to intervene, to bless the city and make criminals live in peace and harmony with other people.

The School Principal, Pamela Bodden, told us in an interview this morning on the Central American Boulevard that the school is giving support to Green’s family. Green, she said, is well liked at the school. He is a member of the Lake I Methodist Band, which he loves very much; he is an athlete, and he was a very helpful, willing student.

Bodden says she is praying that he recovers fully, so that he can go back to doing the things he loves. She said the medical bills are mounting for Green’s family, and yesterday they conducted a successful BBQ sale and donated the proceeds to his family to help pay for an expensive MRI Examination. The principal said the school intends to support the family as much as they can. She said the news on his health is not the best but he is showing signs of improvement.

Bodden said that they are tired of the violence and are calling on police, parents, and all grown-ups to protect the children. She said the march was to send a message to the community that such violence is rejected.

Green’s mother said that when Kyrone was taken to the hospital he was put into an induced coma, and after some time the doctors took him out of the coma to see how he was responding. She said they weren’t satisfied with his response. She said the doctors believe that some blood clots are affecting his brain.

Green’s mother said that her son is a fighter, and she was confident that he would pull through, and she has renewed hope because when one of his relatives called his name, he responded by turning his head to the sound of the voice. His mother said that that response buoyed her hopes, and she continues to pray hard for him.

Police said that they believe the shooting was in retaliation for a fatal shooting that occurred in the North Creek Street area a couple months ago.

ASP Alejandro Cowo told us today that many people were in the area when the shooting occurred, and they are calling on people who saw what happened to come to the police and provide information so they can arrest the shooter. At press time tonight there has been no arrest for the double shooting that left one man injured, and young Kyrone Green fighting for his life at the KHMH.

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