Belize City police are investigating the death of a security officer whose body was found early this morning at a Belize City school.
Investigators remain at the scene at Sadie Vernon High School.
The cause of death is unclear at this time.
This is a developing story.
The Belize Police Department expresses utmost concern and condemnation following a targeted shooting incident at the residence of Commissioner of Police Chester Williams. The incident occurred on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, at approximately 9:19 pm in Belmopan City. While Commissioner Williams was fortunately not present, the brazen attack targeted his home where his 22-year-old son was at the time.
Initial investigations indicate that two motorcycles, each carrying two individuals, unleashed gunfire at the residence, prompting a swift response from law enforcement.
Zero Tolerance for Crime: Belize Police Department Takes Firm Action
The Belize Police Department has initiated a thorough investigation into this appalling act of violence. As of now, one suspect is in custody, and efforts are ongoing to locate three additional individuals believed to be involved.
Commissioner of Police Chester Williams underscores that such criminal actions will not be tolerated, and every effort will be made to ensure the safety and security of all residents. The Department urges anyone with relevant information to come forward and assist in bringing those responsible to justice.
The Belize Police Department remains resolute in its commitment to safeguarding our communities and upholding law and order. Together, we stand against crime and stand with our communities for a safer Belize.
(Press release)
The house of Police Commissioner Chester Williams was targeted last night in Belmopan. This occurred days after the Roaring Creek Police Station was shot up. Williams who left the country yesterday said that he was alerted of this alarming incident by his son who was in the house when the shooting occurred. He was not injured. Williams is currently in New York City attending the UN Chiefs of Police conference.
On social media, he posted, “The act of shooting at my home is a clear example why as a society we cannot go easy on these criminals who believe that they can run our streets and keep our law-abiding citizens hostage with impunity. My mandate as the Commissioner of Police remains clear, and that is to keep the people of our country safe. This is even if my own safety is at risk.”
Williams says he will not be deterred by these cowardly acts
Another state of emergency is in effect for neighborhoods on the north and south sides of Belize City. It is the second S.O.E. within the past six months in an attempt to arrest the spike in violent crimes carried out by feuding gangs. Earlier today, simultaneous operations were conducted in the Victoria Street area, Lake Independence and other parts of the city where several individuals were rounded up under the latest emergency declaration. The Commissioner of Police is on record blaming a recent concert for the rash of gang-related shootings and murders within the past week. The Leader of the Opposition roundly criticizes the ComPol’s approach and says don’t blame the violence on music and entertainment. Tonight, a handful of alleged gang members is in police custody and if the commissioner has his way, they will remain on lockdown at the Belize Central Prison for the next three months. We begin our newscast tonight with a report from Isani Cayetano.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
This morning, teams of law enforcement officers swarmed around various neighborhoods in Belize City, including Lake Independence, where another state of emergency has come into effect. The S.O.E. comes hard on the heels of a violent weekend that saw a deadly attack on two men inside a vehicle on Mahogany Street. Several days earlier, in a separate shooting incident, another individual was murdered near La Croix Boulevard.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“This morning, the police department launched a state of emergency on south side Belize City, as well as over on north side, Victoria Street, including that entire Jungle area. So, this morning, as you see, the police are out in full force, along with members of the Belize Defense Force, and we are pursuing those persons who we want to be detained as part of the S.O.E.”
“They had the concert, certain things took place at the concert and there was where everything started. It spilt over after the concert and then it permeates the city. We now have to deal with the aftermath of that.”
An operation is underway on the streets of Lake-I. A checkpoint has been set up on Western Avenue where vehicles entering and exiting onto the George Price Highway are inspected. Since the campaign began, the Belize Police Department has recovered firearms, ammunition, and various quantities of cannabis.
“The police have recovered a number of firearms and ammunition within the Belize District and the Cayo area. I must say that since we started our operations in the San Ignacio/Santa Elena area the team there has seized about four firearms and a number of ammunition. So it goes to show the work that the police have been doing in those areas to be able to crack down on the issue of crime.”
“We are in search for that individual. As I said, we know who he is but we have not been able to locate him. We are hoping that pretty soon we will be able to do so. We have gotten additional information, I will not divulge that to the media at this time, surrounding that entire incident. And so, as soon as the investigation is at a level where we believe we can share certain things with you, then we’ll do so.”
“Can you explain to us why Cotton Tree is included in the S.O.E.?”
Chester Williams
“We do have a number of elements who are originally from Roaring Creek, but they have moved over and taken up residence in Cotton Tree and those people are among the group of persons who are terrorizing that entire western corridor. They commit burglaries, robberies, shootings from Cotton Tree all the way to the border area, and so it is important for us to be able to capture those persons as part of the S.O.E.”
Chester Williams
“We started our operations since yesterday and we have been able to detain a number of persons who were wanted for murders. As you would see on our media blog we had shared with yesterday, the arrests of two individuals. One was arrested for the murder of Elwin Lewis which took place a couple months ago. That person had been on the run for a number of months from us and we were able to locate him yesterday. And we also charged, I think, Marquis Conorquie for the murder of the guy Moore who was killed on Sunday during the day. So those two individuals were captured as part of this operation and we have also detained a number of other persons who the GI3 will be looking at for gang investigation and a number of persons who are wanted by C.I.B. for different investigations as well.”
Isani Cayetano for News Five.
Following the state of emergency declaration, the Leader of the Opposition, slammed the government for what he describes as having no solution to the increasing crime rate. This afternoon, Shyne Barrow also said his party has been suggesting a change at the helm of the police department for quite some time. He pointed to the increase in murder rate, compared to last year, and criticized the Commissioner of Police for blaming the Trinibad concert for the recent gun violence.
Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“You have the commissioner of police blaming music as the reason for the current state of emergency. It is music now. It is concerts. It is a DJ Trinibad. He’s the reason that people are killing people, please. This is the reason that Chester has to go. There has been a 45 percent increase in the murder rate. We have 58 murders already, from January to June, whereas last year we had about 40 or maybe 45. And so we have a significant increase in the murder rate. The United Democratic Party has been saying for the last few years that the Prime Minister needed to make adjustments in the Ministry of Police and We stay by that. We have been saying that Chester Williams has reached his expiration date. Milk tastes good, but after a certain date, it is useless. And we are seeing that with the Ministry of Police. They completely lack leadership. They lack leadership. The competence at the two most important positions, which is the ministry, the minister of police, and the commissioner of police. And what we see in Chester Williams is just a defense attorney for the Government of Belize. There is no accountability, there is no willingness to accept shortcomings, there is no willingness to work with stakeholders.”
Twenty-four- year-old Marquis Anthony Conorquie has been arraigned and remanded to the Belize Central Prison for the murder of thirty-two-year-old Stanley Moore and the attempted murder of twenty-seven-year-old Joshua Gillett. As we reported, on Sunday evening, Moore and Gillett were traveling in a B.M.W. from the direction of Central American Boulevard towards Oleander Street when two men on a motorcycle rode up beside the car. One man on the motorcycle pointed a firearm at the B.M.W. and opened fire. The two men on the motorcycle then drove off towards the direction of Amandala Drive and made good their escape. A wounded Gillett drove himself and Moore to the K.H.M.H. When police arrived at the hospital, Moore was found dead inside the passenger seat of the car, while Gillett was being treated in emergency. Two days after the shooting, police have arrested and charged Marquis Conorque. He was taken to court and read four charges, including murder, attempted murder, use of deadly means of harm and dangerous harm. In court, no plea was taken from Conorquie and, due to the nature of the offenses, bail was denied. He was remanded into custody at the Belize Central Prison until August twenty-sixth. According to police, the main suspect, a twenty-six-year-old man from the Saint Martin De Porres area, remains at large. Conorquie was presently out on bail for robbery. That trial is ongoing.
Belize is hosting a delegation from Brazil with the aim to exchange knowledge on how to eradicate child labor. The delegation will be in the country for four days.
On Monday, the Ministry of Rural Transformation, Community Development, Labour and Local Government issued a press release announcing the “commencement of a historic in-person knowledge exchange mission with representatives from the Brazilian Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ministry of Social Development, and the Brazilian Cooperation Agency.”
This initiative began on June 24, and is facilitated by the International Labour Organization (ILO) Brazil and the Regional Initiative Technical Secretariat.
According to the government, this partnership will involve local authorities, labour representatives, and civil society stakeholders, and aims to eliminate child labour through collaborative workshops and advocacy sessions. Activities that the Ministry says will, “support Belize in developing robust, evidence-based programmes and improving the enforcement of child labour laws”
As the latest signatory to the Regional Initiative for Latin America and the Caribbean Free of Child Labour, Belize demonstrates proactive efforts in addressing child labour issues in Belize.
This partnership will streamline the knowledge between the two countries, contributing to better integration with social protection and social security programmes, “This approach seeks to enhance the support and economic resilience of children and their families, thereby preventing engagement in child labour,” the Ministry says.
Belize is set to host the first annual World Sustainable Travel and Hospitality Awards Gala Ceremony on Friday, September 27, 2024. The privilege is seen as a recognition of Belize’s leadership in encouraging conscientious and sustainable initiatives in tourism.
News Five was present at the launching of the award last year in Dubai, UAE. According to the official announcement made by the Belize Tourism Board (BTB), this global event is scheduled to happen this year on the same day as World Tourism Day, September 27.
Minister of Tourism and Diaspora Relations, Anthony Mahler, said, “These new awards from the World Travel Awards will shine a light on the biggest players in sustainability from across the globe…Responsible tourism is central to everything we do in Belize. From leading the way for the conservation of Jaguars in Central America with the Maya Forest Corridor, to the development of community-based tourism clusters that promote the preservation of our Indigenous Communities and our work rolling out our Sustainable Tourism Certification Program for Protected Areas and tourism-based businesses in the next couple of years, Belize is committed to sustainable tourism development.”.
Nicole Solano, C.E.O. of the Ministry of Tourism and Diaspora Relations, told News Five, “This is the first of its kind under the World Travel Awards banner… We will be welcoming the winners in the categories for this big event in September.”
In addition to hosting, Belize has lined up nominations in various categories. “Belize companies have submitted as well, but remember they are competing with all of these global companies,” Solano said.
In addition, Belize has been nominated for World’s Leading Sustainable Destination 2024. Various Belize companies have been nominated under the following categories: World’s Leading Sustainable Female Empowerment Initiative 2024, Leading Sustainable Cultural Heritage Project 2024, Leading Sustainable Marine Conservation Initiative 2024, Leading Sustainable Community Engagement Programme 2024.
The voting period is open and will end on August 2 of this year.
KTV The Remix is back! It’s bigger, better! It’s season six. We’ve already held the auditions, and wow, Belize! You showed up and showed out! Out of the thirty-three fantastic singers who auditioned, our superstar judges have picked the top twelve. And these aren’t just any judges. We’re talking about the legendary Jenny Lovell, the charismatic Andazi, and the brilliant producer Viannie Reyes. They know talent when they see it, and they’ve chosen the crème de la crème to compete for the ultimate prize.
This year, we had a lot of participants from other districts. Reyes said, “This year we experienced a lot of out district…all the way from PG, all the way from San Pedro. We have three from San Pedro. We have about three from Cayo, San Ignacio, to be specific. And we have two from the south.”
The audition taping airs tonight on Channel 5 at 8 p.m.
And getting the list down to twelve finalists was challenging. “It was really extremely difficult. We took about approximately three hours to really get to the bottom of who we think is best,” shared Reyes.
“They came with talent. So definitely this year will be, I can say, a little bit top, like topping last year’s talent.”
“So they will be getting a call tomorrow after the audition show; they will be getting that phone call tomorrow, telling them that they made it to this season. And the marketing begins for them. We do have Giselle O’Brien, and she’s assisting us with coaching for them.”
Our judges are not just experts; they’re icons! Jenny Lovell brings her years of experience and sharp eye for talent. Andazi adds a touch of flair and fun, always keeping it real. And Viannie Reyes? Well, she’s the mastermind behind it all, ensuring that every performance is top-notch.
Our twelve finalists will take the stage, each performance more thrilling than the last. And guess what? Each week, we’ll have a surprise guest judge to spice things up even more. It’s going to be a rollercoaster of emotions and excitement!
“Every week we’ll be having a guest judge, and we will be posting a week before guests the judge and giving the audience an opportunity to guess that judge. We’ll have one guest judge every single week. It’s a new guest judge, and the audience will be posting on social media who they think that guest judge is, and if they get it right, they get tickets to enter for free.”
These talented contestants are not just singing for fun. They’re battling it out for a whopping 10,000 Belize dollars! The competition is fierce, the stakes are high, and the talent is off the charts. Who will rise to the occasion and become the grand champion of KTV The Remix Six? You’ve got to watch to find out!
KTV The Remix Six is more than a show; it’s a celebration of Belizean talent, community, and pure entertainment. Whether you’re a die-hard music lover, a proud supporter of local talent, or just in need of some fantastic Tuesday night fun, this show is for you. Expect jaw-dropping performances, heartwarming moments, and a whole lot of fun.
Contestants will also know how to market themselves and earn votes from the audience and viewers. “Not just because you’re able to sing; that means you automatically feel like you’ve won that place. It’s text voting that gets you there. You do benefit if you try hard in a round at night. You come, and you bring your A game to that stage. There’s a possibility that you can walk away with an additional amount of votes if you become that top singer for the night. And that is calculated by the judges score that they give you for the night.”
Set your reminders, folks! Every Tuesday night at 8 p.m., live from the Bliss Centre for Performing Arts in Belize City. This is one musical journey you don’t want to miss! Tickets can be purchased at Channel 5 on Coney Drive in Belize City.
We want to hear from you! Jump on social media and use #KTVTheRemixSix to share your thoughts, cheer on your favourites, and connect with other fans. Your excitement and support mean the world to our contestants, and they make the show even more special.
The NWS National Hurricane Center in Miami, FL, has issued a tropical weather outlook for the North Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico as of 2:00 PM EDT on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. A tropical wave currently located over the southeastern Caribbean Sea is generating disorganized showers and thunderstorms while moving quickly westward at approximately twenty-five miles per hour. Environmental conditions may become conducive to gradual development of the system once it reaches the western Caribbean Sea later this week, with potential for further development over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico during the weekend. The chance of formation through the next forty-eight hours is low at 10 percent, and the chance of formation over the next seven days is also low at twenty percent.
