But first, there were 2 murders which happened between 10 o'clock last night, and 5 a.m. this morning, days after the police department announced that the murder rate was down 15%. The first one took place last night at around 10:30 on Kraal Road.
50 year-old Businesswoman Li Lian He, was inside her shop, Market and Grocery Store, with an employee, when a brown skinned man entered, pulled out a handgun and shot her in the back. He then fled the area, no attempts made to rob the place, and no conversation exchange between the assailant and the victim.
We spoke to the President of the Belize Chinese Association this evening, who told us that the murder is troubling enough, but what makes it more worrisome is that there is no apparent motive. Here's what he told us about the information he had:
Edmund Quan - President, Belize Chinese Association
"On behalf of the association, we received report around 11 to go to the hospital because a Chinese lady was injured by gunshot. When we got there we asked about the situation and we found out that the lady got shot from the back and it exited to the front throught the abdomen. We were waiting there and the lady was fighting but at the end she succumbed and couldn't make it."
Daniel Ortiz
"Was this an act of robbery?"
Edmund Quan
"Right now I'm not sure, I can't say but what I heard was that the person just went in there and shot the lady from the back."
Daniel Ortiz
"Now that sounds scary by itself because we've had incidents before where the Chinese Community had to come forward and protest when it appeared that Chinese nationals or grocery owners were being murdered for nothing. Does this bring back that protest around that time again for you to wonder if this was just another act of senseless killing?"
Edmund Quan
"It's like a nightmare, I was sleeping and they called me and told me this news. I really hope it's not like last time but the impression it gives me is that is the situation. So far right now we're only waiting for the police to do their duties and I hope that the neighbors or witnesses that saw can give some information to the police."
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