Belmopan on Edge After Deadly Valentine’s Eve Shooting

Tonight, a wave of fear that’s been building in Belmopan has ended in heartbreak. After a bold daylight murder of a delivery driver and a string of armed robberies, residents were already on edge. But on the eve of Valentine’s Day, that tension erupted into tragedy. Two cousins, twenty-one‑year‑old Zamar Alvarez and twenty‑year‑old Calvert Webster, were gunned down as they walked along a neighborhood sidewalk. Their killings have shaken an anxious community and left one mother pleading for answers, compassion… and justice. News Five’s Paul Lopez has the story.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

From the shocking broad‑daylight murder of a delivery truck driver just a month ago, to a prominent business owner now reporting that his delivery men have been robbed twice in only two weeks, concerns about public safety in Belmopan are growing fast. That tension boiled over on the eve of Valentine’s Day, when two cousins became the latest victims of a deadly shooting. Just before eight o’clock, twenty-one‑year‑old Zamar Alvarez and twenty‑year‑old Calvert Webster were walking along this sidewalk with several others when someone pulled a gun and opened fire, killing them where they stood. The victims were cousins. Alvarez’s mother rushed to the scene after a relative in the police department called her. Distraught and in disbelief, she spoke with News Five while holding a photo of her son in her lap.

 

Alina Alvarez, Mother of Deceased

“I miss my child. I am his mother, I am his aunt, I am his uncle. I am the only child for my mom. I tried my best. I did my very best. Nobody in my family are gang bangers or gang members. I always told him. I am your gang. I am your gang. I work hard for my son, so please I am begging you guys the lies you saying about my child, please stop. I just want you guys to know the tears. You guys took away my everything, my joy, my hope, my peace. I loved Zamar Alvarez so much. I loved my child.”

 

Inside her son’s room, where a T‑shirt and trousers still lay neatly on his bed, Alvarez remembers the short life of her firstborn and the shock of losing him so suddenly.

 

Alina Alvarez

“I don’t know who would want to hurt him. He recently came back from Esquipulas. That is a place in Guatemala where all Garifuna go every year. We went there and prayed for me, his brother and his sister and he said mom, everything will be ok. My son came back from Escapula and he brought a cross, because I am catholic. He brought a cross and said, mommy this is for us.”

 

Zamar Alvarez was an aspiring musician. His lyrics spoke about the realities of life in the streets, the economic challenges, and at times the violence associated with living certain lifestyles. The two cousins were inseparable. But were they known to police? Reports suggest the cousins were linked to a group of criminals in the Capital City. Minister of Home Affairs, Oscar Mira told News Five that authorities believe the double homicide is linked to recent violence in La Democracia and Belize City.

 

Oscar Mira, Minister of Home Affairs

“It is a spill off of what happened in Democracia. It is a spill off what is happening in Belize City. These guys came to hide in Belmopan. The Belize Police Department is actively investigating. We have done significant work and we have done significant investigations. The ComPol has assured me that nothing will be left unturn. And we are going to solve this latest murder that happened in Belmopan. We are having a lot of push back form the families. They don’t want to come and say anything. There has been a lot of talk and noise on social media.”

 

Alvarez says she has been in close communication with investigators. She’s holding on to hope that the person who killed her son and nephew will be caught and held accountable. And despite the rumors, this grieving mother insists the criminal allegations against her son simply aren’t true.

 

Alina Alvarez

“I must say I am very grateful and I respect the job that they are doing. They came to me. I gave them all the information I know. But like what I told them, I am not aware of what time he left from home. But I am working with them. I am totally working with them. I want them to get caught. I want justice for my child and I will leave everything in the hands of God.”

 

As investigators search for a motive and try to pinpoint who pulled the trigger, the families of Zamar Alvarez and Calvert Webster are left struggling with a loss that’s almost too heavy to bear. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez