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Another Belize City man is dead tonight after he was gunned down in the street. The murder occurred this morning at 7:30 on Euphrates Avenue and it took the life of a hardworking father of four. It has left another family asking why and stunned a community already crippled by grief and burdened the cumulative load of a murder spree that seems to have no end. Keith Swift reports.

Keith Swift Reporting,
Family members of Glenford Matura had to be consoled outside the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital this morning after receiving the devastating news that the father of 4 had been murdered.

Lisa Tracey, Common Law Wife of Deceased
“I came out of the house before him this morning and that is the last time I saw my man. They chanced my man. My man was going to work. Dah work my man work, he nuh thief nobody.”

Glenford Sonny Matura was shot here on Euphrates Avenue. He works for BML and he was on a break eating breakfast on the street side when a gunman approached and opened fire. Witnesses say the after shooting Matura in the head, the gunman continued to chase him and Matura ran into this alley, hopped this zinc fence, and landed in this yard where he collapsed and was taken to the KHMH. He died less than an hour later.

Lisa Tracey,
“I will be honest with whoever did it, my man has four kids. What am I supposed to go and tell my two oldest sons? Please tell me how I will face my children. My children are close to their father. As he knocks off, he goes home to his kids. He would fix a two or three bike for his sons. Unu tell me how I am to do this Keith.”

Helen Samuels, Mother in Law of Glenford Matura
“When I mi need me, he was there for me. He put me in a house. My same son in law. I don’t know how my grandkids will make it without him because he did everything them. I don’t know why they chanced him out of his life. They took him away from his kids, they took him away from my daughter, and they took him away from me. He is the coolest son in law I ever had. Why did they hurt him? It is on his work site they killed him. Why did they chance him?”

And that’s the mystery because Glenford Matura didn’t have a criminal history. His family says that Glenford was a witness in Saturday’s shooting death of his neighbour Elmore Neal. In that case, Glenford was questioned by police. His family believes he was killed because of what he saw.

Helen Samuels,
“He doesn’t do nobody nothing. He is cool cool cool and why would they chance him out of my grandkids life. Something has to be done because this is taking too much. Too much crying is taking place. I can’t handle it. When I go home what will I tell my grandkids when they ask where is my father. How could I tell them that they just shot up their father. I can’t handle it.”

Keith Swift,
“How long were you guys together?”

Lisa Tracey,
“Eleven years. Eleven years I have been with him, from high school.”

Keith Swift,
“Any reason why someone would want to kill him?”

Lisa Tracey,
“No I don’t have any reason because Glenford doesn’t trouble nobody. No reason, he doesn’t have trouble with nobody. I’ve been with my man for so much years and I don’t know him as a trouble person. The only problem me and him got is quarrel but on the street he has no problem.”

Joseph Matura, Brother of Deceased
“They chance my brother out of his rights because my brother doesn’t fool with nobody. My brother sticks to himself. I got up this morning to go to work at CYDP and I heard the ambulance. After that I heard the man dead. They just took my brother from me.”

And now this family says they want more than justice.

Joseph Matura,
“Whoever did this, we have get back revenge. Too much killing is going on in Belize. I hate for my brother to just go like that.”

Helen Samuels,
“Whosever did this, I want to send the message out there. Whosoever did this, whosoever did it, they will get it in return because God nuh the sleep because pickney the suffer out yah.”

Police say Glenford Matura was shot four times; once to the left temple, twice in the buttocks, and once in the left arm. Again his family believes that it was connected to the fatal shooting of Elmore Neal on Saturday afternoon by a police officer. But Neal’s family counters that Glenford Matura wasn’t a witness in that incident. They say he only rushed to Elmore Neal’s side after Neal had been shot.

And speaking of Elmore Neal, the family also needs assistance with burial costs since they are short on funds and they say that so far the police have been unwilling to help. The family can be contacted at 624-3775.