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“Tencho” Survives Shot To Face
posted (August 23, 2010)
Joseph "Tencho" Panting, you may know his name because he got off a murder charge for Kirk Ortega. But on Saturday, Tencho was himself almost murdered in a brazen broad daylight attack.

And if not for a slight swivel of the head, this could have been a store about another murder statistic. But instead it's a store of a lucky, near miss. Monica Bodden has been following up:....

36 year old Joseph Panting - better known as Tencho - was riding his bicycle here at the corner of Zericote and Ebony Streets - when he was approached by a man - who fired three shots at him.

It happened on Saturday morning at about 11 o'clock.

Joseph Brown - Father
"When I came to the hospital; I left from the market immediately and I come straight to the hospital, when I got in the hospital I see him bleeding through and through and the doctor was trying to stop the bleeding, the doctor gave his something to numb the area that calm him down."

Tencho was shot to the left cheek and the bullet went across his mouth and pierced his right cheek.

Joseph Brown - Father
"The bullet pass through his right jaw through his tongue and exited through the left jaw."

As a result, Panting's jaw has been shattered and he might be needing medical assistance outside of Belize.

Joseph Brown - Father
"I don't know if we will have to fly him out because we have to wait for the doctors' results, because Mrs. Pollard works here at the hospital and she was the one who call me and told me. She said probably maybe he might have to fly him out. I don't know, I have to wait until the doctor result comes."

Brown says that the shooter was aiming for the back of Panting's head, and turning his head is what saved his life:

Joseph Brown - Father
"We are not sure, the shooter might have been walking behind him but when he turn to see who was behind him was the same time that the person fired the shot."

According to Brown, he has no idea if his son is affiliated with the Mayflower Gang and cannot answer if his son might have had beef with anyone.

Joseph Brown - Father
"I wouldn't know because he lives in the "bailar" area, he has his house back there with his family. So I wouldn't know."

Panting goes into surgery on his jaw tomorrow. His father told us police have no one detained for that shooting.

One nine millimeter shell was recovered from the scene.

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