State Of Emergency Fails To Stop Another Killing in Belize City

A quiet Thursday night in the Jane Usher area was shattered by a burst of gunfire, leaving yet another young man dead in a community already on edge. Nineteen-year-old Lamar Garnett was gunned down just after eight o’clock, right outside his home. Residents say the shots rang out in rapid succession, about ten in all, sending neighbors scrambling for safety. When the gunfire subsided, Garnett lay motionless, another life lost to violence steps away from his front door.  Thursday night’s killing adds to a troubling pattern in the Jane Usher community, which has been grappling with a wave of violence targeting young men over the past couple of months. The area is also currently under a state of emergency, as authorities work to contain escalating gang-related activity and restore a sense of calm. Despite those measures, residents continue to live in fear, as deadly incidents persist with alarming frequency. Police have launched an investigation into Garnett’s murder.

 

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