Deadly Violence Shadows Independence Celebrations

In the days leading up to Belize’s Independence celebrations, a series of shootings has replaced anticipation with concern in communities across the country. Another young man was shot in Belize City today, following the killings of Jose Sosa Sr. in Orange Walk and Deovan Hall, Anthony Perry Jr. and Dennis Guevara in separate incidents within hours of each other. The latest shooting adds to a deadly week and pushes the nation’s murder count even higher. As police investigate each attack, Belizeans are asking what is driving the sudden surge in violence and what authorities are doing to contain it. Tonight, we examine the incidents that cast a deadly shadow over the week before Independence Day.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Gun violence has cast a shadow over Belize’s forty-fifth Independence celebrations. On Sunday, Jose “Bones” Sosa Senior was killed as he rested outside his Orange Walk home. Police have not confirmed a motive, leaving his family struggling to understand why he was targeted.

 

Voice of: Son of Deceased (File: September 14^th, 2026)

 “No a lie nobody, my pa used to be bad. But right now, he change, he mi di change. Stop go out. Never go out a lot. Mind ihself. Tek care of ihself. Help people. Help everybody. Not the best, but he mi di try di best.”

 

Sosa’s family explained that despite prior run-ins with the law, he was changing. But changing your life does not always erase the dangers of the past. Anthony Perry’s family confronted that painful reality on Wednesday night when gun violence claimed his life, along with two other men in separate incidents.

 

Voice of: Allyssa Teul, Girlfriend of Deceased

“I neva expect it. Nobody neva expect it. Who know he, i no wa she he innocent, he do he stuff but who k wo he, he da mi wa loving person.”

 

The ongoing violence has devastated families and communities across Belize. Attorney Audrey Matura argues that it is fueled by deeper social and economic challenges, including poverty and limited opportunities which leave many young people vulnerable to crime and violence.

 

Audrey Matura, Attorney-at-Law

“When it’s a uneven division of resources in the country that cause or create the situation where people are stuck in poverty, and it’s not everybody that’s stuck in poverty that commits a crime. But they rob you of the resources, the resources which should have been placed into social services, better healthcare, better education, better employment, better education, educational programs. You see, if you empower your people, you have to do it from they’re small.”

 

Matura believes fighting crime requires more than policing. She says limited opportunities and harsh living conditions can steer young people toward crime, trapping them in choices that shape the rest of their lives. Her solution is to invest in education, expand social services and create meaningful opportunities in vulnerable communities. Britney Gordon for News Five.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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