LADYVILLE, Belize District, Mon. May 16, 2016–Funeral preparations are well on the way for Lionel Rhamdas, 21, who was found shot to death, with a firearm by his side in Ladyville.
According to Ladyville police, at around 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 14, while patrolling on Marage Road, they heard multiple shots and saw several individuals running from the area.
On pursuing those individuals, police found Rhamdas dead on the ground.
According to police reports, four men were socializing around a picnic table at the premises of Cynthia Lozano when they were ambushed by gunmen.
According to ACP Edward Broaster, two gunmen, believed to be Darwin Estuardo Prado and Egbert Baldwin, emerged from behind Lozano’s premises, joined by Lionel Rhamdas, who emerged from in front of the premises with his gun in hand.
Three of the men who had been socializing at the picnic table on the premises had received gunshot injuries at the hands of the gunmen: Lyndon Gillet, 44, was shot in the right arm; Casey Lozano, 23, was also shot in the right arm, and Terrence Flowers, 22, was shot in the back of the neck and chest. The fourth man, who is unidentified, escaped unharmed.
However, investigators have not yet determined who shot Rhamdas, who was one of the three shooters. One theory is that he was mistakenly shot by one of his fellow perpetrators, because they were shooting from different angles.
Another speculated scenario is that one of the men who were ambushed pulled out his firearm and shot Rhamdas, thereby preventing him from further injuring the other two, who, bleeding, were fleeing from more bullets.
Ladyville police have since recovered 20 expended shells and two live rounds of Arcus ammunition and a magazine containing 9 live rounds from the scene.
They have also recovered a gun believed to have been used by Rhamdas, and have sent it to ballistic experts at the Forensics Department for examination.
According to police intelligence, Saturday’s shooting was the result of continued warfare between three different gangs situated in Ladyville.