Land disputes are nothing new in fact people have even lost their
lives and on Friday night in Ladyville while no one was killed, someone did
try to take the life of long time resident Manuel Perez. The incident took place
only a few days after the shooting victim and his wife’s lives were threatened.
It is a disturbing story and today Manuel and Elida Perez spoke with 7News.
The couple say all they want is peace and the right to go on with their lives.
Manuel Perez, Shooting Victim
“He can come, he can go as he wants, when he wants. He can put up
whatever he wants on the land, I am not stopping him.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
“You both just want to be left alone in peace?”
Manuel Perez,
“That’s just it. Do what you want in your little corner, we
are doing what we want in our little corner. I didn’t say don’t
come on the land, I am not saying don’t come here ever. If you want to
build a house, build a house – fine. The land is big, do what you want
in your little corner.”
Manuel and Elida Perez have good reasons to be upset. Someone not only attempted
to burn down the couple’s Ladyville home but they also shot the husband.
The drama unfolded just after ten on Friday night.
Manuel Perez,
“I was already in bed when I smelt the strong odour of gasoline. So
I got up and I went outside and when I opened the door I looked down the step
and I saw the whole step wet. So I went outside and I smelt the gas and I told
my wife that somebody is looking to burn the house down so get up. When I looked
on the street adjacent our land I saw a young man walking out of the yard. So
I approached him and I asked him what he was doing in this yard. So he said
he lived in the back and just looking over back in the yard I saw a shadow go
behind the house.
So I went back in and on the way I asked my wife to give me the phone and
I am going to loose the dog at the time because the dog actually was really
acting up a kind of way and when I got the phone in my phone to dial to call
the police, one of the young men run from the back and hollered to put down
the phone, put down the phone. So I asked him what was he doing in this yard
and he said to put down the phone. So I dropped the phone and when conscious 
he had a gun, I grabbed the front of the gun and meanwhile me and him started
to wrestle for the gun, I heard another voice coming from the back say shoot
the man, shoot the man, shoot him and shoot him now. So my attention turned
towards the third person and my mind just told me put my hand up. So by the
time I pushed away the gun to put my hand up now, that is when the gunshot went
off.”
The bullet struck Manuel Perez in his right forearm.
Manuel Perez,
“The doctor says I am very lucky because I guess the closeness of
the shot because they say if I had gotten it maybe a foot or two maybe or three
foot away, maybe I could have gotten more damage on my whole entire body, not
only my hand because the pellets and everything are still in my arm.”
The couple says they strongly suspect who is responsible and they believe it
has to do with a family land dispute.
It is a troubling situation that clearly has gotten out of hand. Today
Manuel and Eldia Perez visited with Belize City Police and we hope that a solution
will soon be reached. In the meantime there is no evidence to suggest that the
person the couple suspect was involved in the shooting of Manuel Perez. Following
Friday night’s incident Ladyville Police did detain a suspect but he has
since been released.
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