7 News Belize

Two Days Out Of Jail, Eggy Got Killed
posted (July 20, 2020)
We turn now to the weekend's other murder, which occurred on Marage Road in Ladyville. Over the years, this street has become a sort of deadly battleground between two warring gang groups that have established themselves in the 'La Milpa' and 'Japan' areas of the village.

And this time, the target was one of the veteran combatants on this battlespace.

22-year-old Egbert Baldwin was acquitted last week of a major shoot-out in May 2016, in which 3 men from one crew were injured. 23-year-old Lionel Rhamdas was also murdered in that shoot-out.

Baldwin had been on remand for 4 years as one of the 2 men charged for that incident, and mere days after he was acquitted in a trial without a jury, he was murdered. On Saturday night, 2 gunmen hunted him down, and in the process, they terrorized a quiet residential neighborhood near to the embattled Marage Road.

7News went looking for answers today, and Daniel Ortiz has that story:

2 days… That's all the time that 22 year-old-old Egbert Baldwin got to enjoy his freedom, after spending 4 years on remand while he awaited trial for attempted murder.

On Saturday night, gunmen hunted him down to administer a cruel and reckless dose of the so-called "street justice".

At around 7:00, July 18th, he was riding a bicycle on Jackson Avenue, which is close to the Mirage Road area.

"Eggy" - as he is known - was in a residential neighborhood, which according to residents, is when his assailants ambushed him. They opened fire, unloading a massive spray of bullets, terrifying area residents in the quiet area

Baldwin was shot multiple times and ran a hundred feet to a nearby home.

He showed up at the door bleeding profusely from as many as 5 gunshots, and reportedly forced his way through the unlocked door and pleaded with the homeowners for help.

They called Ladyville Police and fortunately, the shooters did not follow him into the home. In the process of trying to kill him, one of the shooters injured an innocent 44-year-old passerby.

It's another explosion of violence in an area that has become notorious for gunfights and bloodshed in the last 5 years.

Sr. Supt. Hilberto Romero - Deputy Head, NCIB
"Ladyville police responded to a report of a shooting incident at Egbert Quilter Avenue, upon their arrival, they found Egbert Baldwin, twenty-two years, with gunshot injuries to the body and Ronald Cole, forty-four years, with a gunshot injury to the leg. They were both taken to the K.H.M.H. where Egbert Baldwin thereafter succumbed to his injuries. This is a result of ongoing rival between two groups in that area. They had incidents in the past. Egbert Baldwin had just been released from prison and he was in that area and he was targeted."

Reporter
"Could this be called retaliation, because we know that Mr. Baldwin just got off from a murder charge?"

Sr. Supt. Hilberto Romero - Deputy Head, NCIB
"That is something we are looking at - the ongoing rivalry they have in that area."

At one point, Baldwin was the police's main suspect for the August 2016 killing of 32-year-old John Williams, which happened days before Hurricane Earl struck Belize.

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