Byron James Killed: Street Justice or Mistaken Identity?

It was a deadly end to the week on Castle Street in Belize City, where police are now investigating the murder of Byron James, an accused killer who became a victim himself. James was gunned down outside his home on Friday night. He had been convicted back in 2017 for the 2012 murder of Frank Vasquez, but after appealing the case, he was recently released on bail. Now, investigators are looking into whether this was a case of street justice. But James’s family sees it differently, they believe he was mistaken for someone else. News Five’s Shane Williams has more on the shooting and the search for answers.

 

Shane Williams, Reporting

Byron James got out of bed just before ten p.m. on Friday night to sit in his yard, smoke a cigarette and speak with his girlfriend on the phone. It was part of his nightly routine to help him wind down. Unfortunately, on this cold and damp November night, killers were lurking in the shadows.

 

ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer

“On Friday fourteenth November, 2025 at about nine fifty-five p.m., acting upon information received of shots being fired at an apartment building located on Castle Street, bull City Precinct, three crimes investigation. Branch personnel proceeded to that location. Upon the arrival of these officers. They observed the apparent lifeless body of a male person who was later identified to be 36-year-old Byron James. A laborer of a Castle Street address. Initial investigations revealed that on Friday 14th November at approximately 9:50 PM James was in the compound of that apartment building when two mass men are reported to have entered the property and fired several shots resulting in Mr. James untimely demise.”

 

The two gunmen made their way into the yard by jumping this very fence, while Byron James sat quietly in the dark, unaware of what was coming. They fired several shots and escaped the same way they entered. By the time his relatives rushed to see what had happened, there was nothing they could have done to help

 

Leah James, Sister-in-law of Deceased

“My mom called me and she told me, Barron got shot, Barron got shot. She didn’t see what else. Me and my husband, we rushed here. Um, I ran all the way in and I was the one to see his body on the ground and that’s when it like really settled that he passed. There was nothing we could do. Um, even my mom, she told us that when she, she called him when she heard the shots, um, because my daughter came to the door to close the door because he literally just get up out of his bed to come outside and take his usual, um, cigarette. And as he walked outside right at this side, um, my daughter came behind him and she came to pull this gate. And as she pulled the gate, that’s when the shots fired off. So my 7-year-old daughter was right here at the gate and had to see all of that.”

 

Following the deadly shooting, police have ramped up their investigation in the area, leading to the detention of one suspect for questioning and the recovery of two firearms.

 

Stacy Smith

“Police have detained one male person in relation to this incident. And during the course of police operation in that area, subsequent to the shooting, two nine millimeter pistols were retrieved and labeled as spun property. These firearms will be submitted to the National Forensic and Science Services laboratory for ballistic testings to determine whether or not they were in fact used in this incident. There is no motive, clear motive that has been established so far. What I can say is that we are aware that Mr. James was recently released from the Belize Central Prison, having appeal filed, an appeal in relation to his murder conviction. So he’s. He was at the time currently out on bail. Those are angles that we are pursuing as well as the detention of one individual who we believe is from an area that is rivaled to that location.”

 

Police are exploring the possibility that James’s past may have finally caught up with him. However, his family believes it may have been a case of mistaken identity. They have only been living at the apartment complex for about a week.

 

Leah James

“We’re really hoping for justice. We really hope for justice because for someone. To be just killed like that for as a mistaken identity. That’s what hurts us the most. He was mistaken, and we just hope that we can get justice from this because they took a real huge backbone of our family. They took someone huge from us.”

 

The family is now relying on police for justice. While the public knows him for his run-in with the law, they know a much different side, a loyal brother and talented tattoo artist who loved to sing when nobody’s watching.

 

Nikolai James, Brother of Deceased

“So when he came out, he changed life. I try help him, he, he listen to me sometimes. He, he do his stuff down, but he really listen to me though. I he look out to me. He listen sometimes when I have problems or thing and he love all my kids. He’s a loving uncle. Uh, my daughters and Mr. No and then cry, so they never one even for me, do my brother that man. ’cause I know my brother have a past. He change his life and I appreciate that he changed his life and I support him. Oh, he enjoyed doing tattoos. He enjoys doing tattoos. He’s a si I call. I call him the silent singer in our family because he sings, he puts in his headphone and goes all in his corner and he’s gonna sing for you. And sometimes I would jump up. I would go in the bathroom and I hear him singing outside and I, I’ll go out and tell him, why are you ready here to sing?”  Why you not gonna sing for, we wanted to get karaoke and stuff. That’s what he loves and he loves to do his tattoos and he loves hanging out with his family and his girlfriend.”

 

Shane Williams for News Five.