This morning, thirty-one-year-old Kadeem Orosco was tragically shot and killed near his home in Belize, in what appears to be part of an ongoing gang feud that has claimed two other lives since Monday. Orosco was walking on Ebony Street after taking his seven-year-old daughter to school when he was targeted. His grief-stricken relatives arrived at the scene shortly after. Police are now working to identify the killer, facing the third murder in two days and growing concerns about citizen security. News Five’s Paul Lopez reports.
A father returning home from dropping off his daughter at St. Martin’s School this morning is the latest murder victim in a rash of gun violence that has gripped the Old Capital. Thirty-one-year-old Kadeem Orosco was shot dead at the corner of Ebony and Sittee Street in Belize City. Relatives of the victim were overwhelmed with grief at the scene. Kadeem’s father, Douglas Orosco, arrived shortly after the shooting and pleaded with police to let him see his son. The community is left mourning the loss of a young father whose life was cut short in a senseless act of violence.
Douglas Orosco, Father of Deceased
“Why unu the handle the case like we dah the killer? I need to see my son. Deh the handle this case like we are the killers, I need to see my son. Daily routine, everyday. He is usually on bike, but probably because he the walk and thing, I don’t know who do it, and this nuh right brother for real. They call me just now and told me they shot Kadeem, I said what did Kadeem do. He didn’t do anybody anything. He is not a gang, he try to find jobs. So they told me they shot my son and I am here to see what happened. Now, they don’t want me to see my son. Now they are acting like we are killers. I need to see my son.”
Douglas Orosco and his sister, Teresita Orosco, were eventually allowed past the police tape to see the body of their loved one, Kadeem Orosco. Initial investigations reveal that Kadeem was walking home alone when an armed individual approached and fired several shots, fatally wounding him.
Paul Lopez
“Can you confirm whether this murder is connected to the last two over the last twenty-four hours?”
ACP Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander, Eastern Division
“I cannot say if it is connected, however we have several leads we are following up and several persons in custody in regards to these recent murders.”
Reporter
“Could it be gang related?”
“We have information that it is gang related.”
Paul Lopez
“Can you say if it is connected to the ongoing gang feud?”
“Yes we have information that it is connected, that is why we have around sixty persons in custody at this time. We are conducting several operations in the Belize district and we continue with our works on the ground.”
In response to a wave of violence that saw three murders within twenty-four hours, authorities have detained sixty suspected gang members. The recent spike in gun violence has left the community shaken, including Teresita Orosco, who lost her nephew in one of the attacks. Saddened by the tragic events, Orosco is calling on the authorities to declare a state of emergency to restore peace and safety.
Teresita Orosco, Aunt of Deceased
“I think that state of emergency should ramp up to a year in prison without parole. I know it wont slow down the crime rate, but it will do something to the culprits them. If they lock up the famous gang figures and the younger minions are out here, they will still do the same. This will not happen. But if they bring back capital punishment, hang them. It is an eye for an eye, the bible says, an eye for an eye. If you kill somebody, just know that you will get killed too. Heng deh, we as families have to cry out for justice. We have to cry out for capital punishment to come back, hang them.”
A police surveillance camera located at the corner of Ebony Street, just a short distance from where Kadeem Orosco was gunned down, could provide crucial evidence in the ongoing investigation. Authorities are hopeful that footage from the camera will help identify the shooter and bring justice to Orosco’s grieving family.
“We have several cameras around the city so when an incident occurs we review them and see what information we get from them.”
Reporter
“Is it working?”
“That camera is working, so we are reviewing footage.”
Teresita Orosco
“We need justice, but I know on this earth, we will not get justice, but God is. He still sits high on his throne, you understand what I am saying.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez
