7 News Belize

Murder Number 100 Was Senseless And Ruthless
posted (October 7, 2010)
The country has recorded murder number 100 for the year - and like so many of those that came before, it is senseless and excessively violent.

This time the victim was a working man, 20 year old Carlos Sucuqi, a fruit vendor who was packing up his stall at 6:00 am this morning when death came looking for him.

Monica Bodden spoke to the man who raised the Guatemalan immigrant from he came to Belize as a child. The guardian asked to appear off camera.

Miguel Sucuqui, Uncle
"Six o' clock, I was sleeping when one fellow come over by the window and he told me that Carlos just got beaten, I ask him how? He said he is in the hospital. When I reach there they told me a different story, they told me that he got shot so when I came out and back in again they told me that he got multiple gunshots."

The blood stains on the side of this Canal - mark the spot for the 100th murder of the year. It happened early this morning at about 6 o'clock.

20 year old Carlos Sucuqui was shot 4 times in his chest - 2 in his abdomen and 2 in his foot. Sucuqui who is a vendor parked his bicycle cart on West Canal when a man approached him and opened fire.

With 8 gunshots inflicted into his body - his fight for life would soon be over - at 10 this morning - 5 hours later - he succumbed to his injuries.

Miguel Sucuqui, Uncle
"I went to talk to the doctor and he told me that he die from the multiple gunshots. I don't know what happen from there; afterwards I wanted to see him because I didn't believe he died."

It is still not clear what exactly the motive for this morning's murder was - but from what we gathered -it might have been because the 20 year old had in a pair of headphones -listening to his MP3 player - and didn't quite hear what the man was saying. For this family it is not the first time they have experienced losing a loved one to gun violence.

In 2008 - Miguel Sucuqui lost another one of his nephew - 21 Abel Thomas. He was shot behind his head for his bicycle and died almost instantly.

Miguel Sucuqui, Uncle
"I will not judge anybody; why he did it? What was the cause? God will judge him sometime. it's hard for me because I grow up with him. The thing is the crying and the water will drop from my eyes, but this country will never change. Probably families like me have the same feelings to bury a son, a nephew or bury somebody else. The killing will still happen in this country because I don't know who will do something about it to make it stop."

We should note that another relative told us that the gunman shot Sucuqui after he examined a tattoo on his hand - which was not any gang insignia, it simply spelled out his nickname.

As noted in the story, he was killed on East Canal close to its junction with Berkeley Street - and with that his becomes the third murder in the immediate area since mid August.

Residents today asked about the absence of the foot patrols posted to the area…

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