7 News Belize

Christmas Killing In The City
posted (December 28, 2010)
It should have been a blessed and merry weekend - and while that's how it was for most of us - five families struggled through Christmas after their loved ones were killed.

Three men were killed on Christmas Eve - one was killed on Christmas day and one on Boxing day.

The murders happened in the Belize and Orange Walk districts. We start here in the city - at 7:30 on Friday night, Christmas Eve when 32 year old Patrick Kerr was shot four times as he sat in front of a food stall on Freetown Road. His family told us more:…

Jules Vasquez
"Do you have any idea why anyone would have wanted to kill him?"

Bernadine Stevens, Mother of Deceased
"Well I guess from a "beef" or whatever, Patrick was not a saint but he was our angel. hero, love by many, dislike by many, so we still love him."

Jules Vasquez
"Do you harbor resentment or animosity towards the person who shot him, who took his life?"

Bernadine Stevens, Mother of Deceased
"None, absolutely none. I pray for the person, because we left everything to God, because God is our everything so we don't want any revenge, we don't want anything, we don't even care if the police don't arrest anybody. We are not looking for any of that. We just want peace."

The father of ten had just gone to take a trim when he was shot twice to the chest on Freetown Road

Kamillia Stevens - sister of deceased
"Actually the way how my brother was living his life there was something bound to happen from a while ago."

Bernadine Stevens, Mother of Deceased
"We knew that it would have happen soon, that he would have lost his life soon. I see it because I was born with a gift from God that I myself don't understand it but I usually get the feeling before that something will happen. I told him before he had left to stay at home and just drink with his brother. But he didn't want to listen, he say that he has to go to see his daughter."

Jules Vasquez
"So you had like a premonition?"

Bernadine Stevens, Mother of Deceased
"Yes, I see it in him."

Jules Vasquez
"Was he aware that there are people out there who are out to get him?"

Bernadine Stevens, Mother of Deceased
"Yes he knows because he didn't want to come at the back here due to the killing of my other son, he didn't want us at back here because he wanted to deal with them."

That other son is Norman Reyes, he was killed in Janaury 2008 - and then in July 2003 Dean Belisle - the father of Bernadine's daughter Kamillia Stevens was killed in the same yard where we did our interviews today. And now a third has been lost…But this family has not fallen to despair or fear.

Bernadine Stevens, Mother of Deceased
"I am not afraid at all because if that will happen again I will feel the vibes and I will cope with it the same way again. I am not afraid. I am in the Lord's hand, I am not afraid."

Kamillia Stevens - sister of deceased
"We have one another, we have other people, other brothers, other sisters, we have our kids, we have to be strong for one another because then if everybody starts to bawl up and look crazy and that kind of thing - how will that look?"

And now the family is staying up even after losing a loved one at Christmas.

Kamillia Stevens - sister of deceased
"To die at a time like this is shocking because nobody would want for them to kill any family member for them especially a brother or a sister or somebody that close because it's hard and it hurts. It spoil a good Christmas. It is more than bad."

Kerr was sitting with a 24 year old man who escaped unhurt.

Our records show that Kerr was shot multiple times in September of 2008 - but survived that assault.

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