Still No Motive For Murder of Eric Reyes

Fifteen-year-old Eric David Reyes has become the latest victim of gun violence, at the start of a week that has already claimed two other lives.

Police say early findings indicate that “Reyes was riding his bicycle on Park Street when he was accosted by an unknown individual who fired the shots that fatally wounded him.”

ASP Stacy Smith told reporters that no motive has been established. “There is no information at this time to suggest that Reyes was involved in any gang activity, nor that this incident was as a consequence of gang rivalry,” she noted.

Reyes lived nearby and was believed to be on his way home after 10 pm that night. Asked why a 15-year-old was outside at that hour, Smith explained that the teen lived in “a unique circumstance where his mother is said to be a paraplegic, and he resides with her as well as a sibling. So maybe because of the situation that he’s confronted with, the supervision is not as optimal as it is desired to be.”

Smith linked the murder to a broader societal issue. “The hallmark of a society, or the greatness of a society, is determined by how they treat their elderly and the young,” she said. “What we have seen over the past few days are incidents that involve persons who fall directly into these categories.”

She went on to reference the recent murder of sixty-one-year-old Wayne “Pie Bwai” Myles, whose life was also claimed by gun violence last Friday. Raising concerns about whether Belize is becoming a society where neither the young nor the elderly are spared.

Police are appealing to the public for assistance. “We similarly seek the public assistance and ask them to provide us with any information that they believe can advance this investigation.”