July 6, 2025 - Greater Belize Media

Man Injured in Early-Morning Highway Shooting

A 23-year-old Belize City man is recovering after being shot during an apparent attempted murder early Saturday morning on the Phillip Goldson Highway.

Police say that around 5:00 a.m., officers were alerted that a gunshot victim had arrived at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. Upon arrival, investigators met Jermaine Garnett Jr., a resident of Jasmine Street, Belize City, who was suffering from a gunshot wound to the body.

Initial investigations revealed that around 3:40 a.m., Garnett was riding a black and red Meilun motorcycle on the highway, heading into Belize City from the direction of Ladyville. He was reportedly being followed by a blue Buick SUV driven by another man.

As they passed in front of Agua Magica Water, another vehicle pulled up alongside the SUV and opened fire. Seconds later, the same vehicle drove up next to Garnett and fired several more shots, one of which struck him.

Scenes of Crime technicians processed the area and recovered several expended 9mm shell casings. Garnett was issued a medico-legal form and treated for his injury. He was later released from the hospital.

Woman Alleges Rape After Meeting Man She Knew in Nightclub

Police are investigating an alleged rape that reportedly took place in the early hours of Saturday morning near Newtown Barracks, following a night out at a popular nightclub.

According to police, the incident occurred around 2:30 a.m. on July 5, 2025. A Belize City woman reported that she had gone to Shisha Lounge with friends to socialise. While at the club, she encountered a 21-year-old man she knew.

She told investigators that the man asked her to go for a walk, and the two left the club together. They walked to the area near the corner of 9th Street and Newtown Barracks, where a vehicle was parked. Once inside the vehicle, the woman claims she was sexually assaulted.

A formal statement was recorded, and the scene was visited by investigators. A medical examination was conducted on the complainant, and the vehicle in question was photographed and impounded.

Police have confirmed that the person of interest from Jasmine Street, Belize City, is currently under investigation.

Fisherman Escapes Gunfire In Belize City

A Belize City fisherman says he narrowly escaped with his life after being pursued and shot at by four armed men last week Thursday afternoon.

Thirty-year-old Adrian August reported to police that he was unloading lobster at the National Fishermen Cooperative when a white and green boat approached with four dark-skinned men onboard. August told investigators that one of the men, known to him as “Red Head,” threatened him verbally, while the other three brandished firearms.

Sensing danger, August boarded his 20-foot black fishing boat Kristina along with a crew member and left the dock, heading toward Lindo’s Alley to refuel. As they passed under the Swing Bridge, August noticed the same white and green vessel trailing them closely.

He accelerated in an attempt to evade them, but near Conch Shell Bay, his passenger jumped overboard as the pursuing boat caught up. One of the assailants reportedly shouted, “I wa kill you, hag, I wa kill you!” before the group opened fire. Gunshots struck the vessel and disabled one of its engines.

The armed men then fled the scene, and August returned to the cooperative to report the incident.

More Details of Broad-Daylight Shooting

More details have emerged regarding Friday afternoon’s shooting on Amandala Drive in Belize City.

Around 4:16 p.m., 26-year-old Earl Anderson, a Belizean handyman of Vernon Street, was socialising with three other men in the yard when a gunman on a bicycle rode up and unleashed a volley of gunfire.

Anderson was struck twice in the body. Miraculously, the other men escaped unscathed.

Police responded quickly to the scene, and Anderson was rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where he remains in the Intensive Care Unit in very critical condition.

Authorities have not yet released a motive for the shooting, but the investigation remains active.

Even the Defenceless Aren’t Spared

In the small yard of a modest home on Cedar Street, two lives were extinguished, quietly, mercilessly, and with a cruelty that reflects a chilling truth: in today’s Belize, even the defenceless are not spared.

The victims were 64-year-old Evadnie Jones and her son Luke Jones, who lived with a disability that confined him to a wheelchair. Their bodies were found nearly 20 hours after neighbours first reported hearing gunshots on Friday night. For much of that time, they lay just beyond their gate, in the same neighbourhood where bullets are more common than justice.

Hours before the shooting, Patrick Jones, a known member of the Taylor’s Alley gang, had gone live on TikTok from the United States, boasting about his survival and taunting his rivals. That video may have lit the fuse. Hours later, his mother and brother were dead.

In the past eight months, three wheelchair-bound men have been executed. First, it was 17-year-old Trayson Gibson, paralysed since age 15, gunned down while on Banak Street. Then, Gion Bernard, known as “Gizmo,” was killed on Castle Street. He was shot in the head. And over the weekend, Luke Jones.

Opposition Leader Tracy Panton called the Jones murders “a sign of deepening lawlessness” and urged the government to act decisively. UDP Leader Shyne Barrow went further, saying, “There are people who must be permanently removed from our streets, not just for justice, but for the protection of society.” He called for strong legislation and police empowerment, even citing controversial strategies used in El Salvador to crush gang influence.

Police Nab Placencia Man with Drugs and Nearly $2K

28-year-old tour guide Emmanuel Vasquez is in police custody after officers reportedly caught him fleeing his apartment, where they later found suspected crack cocaine, cannabis, and over $1,900 in cash.

Vasquez attempted to escape but was quickly detained. A bag he discarded was found to contain 335 grams of suspected crack cocaine and 287 grams of cannabis.

He is expected to be charged with drug possession with intent to supply