The gang and gun violence in the St. Martin's area continued this weekend - and another city youth was slain - this one was just a teenager. It happened in the early morning hours of Saturday, on Croton Lane, in the heart of PIV territory. 17 year-old Deandre Nembhard was inside his Aunt and Uncle's yard. It's like his second home where he was just chilling with his family to bring in the tenth. And so it caught every one off guard when a gunman jumped out of a vehicle and opened fire on him.
Daniel Ortiz visited his family today to find out why he was gunned down in such a ruthless fashion. Here's that story:
Daniel Ortiz
17 year-old Deandre Nembhard was socializing here in this yard on Croton Lane. He was hanging out with family members just after midnight on Friday. That's when he was mercilessly gunned down.
ASP Alejandro Cowo - OC, Eastern Division, Belize City
"On Saturday sometime around 2 in the morning, police visited the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where they observed a minor suffering from several apparent gunshot wounds to his body. The person was transmitted to the operating theatre where he succumbed to his injuries sometimes after 5 in the morning. Police visited the area at Croton Lane where the scene was processed and several expended shells was recovered from the scene. The information that the police has received so far was that it was a vehicle that had stopped at the location where apparently there was a function between a family. A person just came out of the vehicle and fired several shots at the group which unfortunately caught the minor who succumbed to his injuries early Saturday morning."
His Aunt, who was upstairs, had only just gone to bed just before that attack happened. She described - off camera - what it was like for her to wake up to gunshots being fired at Deandre.
VOICE OF: Patricia Thompson - Aunt of Deceased
"I went to bed and told my husband to lock up when they come up. I was still playing a game on my phone when I fell in a doze, then I heard about 8 or 9 shots and all of them hit my nephew. I jumped up and I started to scream because I have trouble with my heart and had to scream out so that I could breathe. I thought it was my next nephew, but then they came up for the key to the van to hurry take him because they were trying to wake him up to stay."
Thinking about how her nephew's life was cut short this way fills Patricia Thompson with rage.
VOICE OF: Patricia Thompson - Aunt of Deceased
"For that person to just finish, you already gave him 2, he came in the yard and finish off the round right on my nephew."
That's for police to figure out, why the gunman wanted "Dre" dead. For the Thompson family, they are trying to come to terms with his loss, just like his mother, and his siblings. For his Aunt Patricia, she'll remember him for his love of her cooking.
Daniel Ortiz
"We are told that, like all men, all of us, we love walking around with our bellies in our hands."
VOICE OF: Patricia Thompson - Aunt of Deceased
"He's one of them, my house is never out of food. He and any one of my nephews, once you're hungry or want food no matter how you get there, it's right at auntie "Big Pat," because that's just me, I'm their auntie "Big Pat." As usual he was social, nice to talk to but everyone has their ignorance but he didn't play off on anyone. He's usually here with me or like how he's not doing anything right now, he's always downstairs with his uncle and my brother would get a mechanic job, it's him and a next young man who goes to deal with it and its right down stairs back playing game."
Today, we spoke to his mother by telephone, and she told us that she was unable to discuss her son's murder because it is just too painful for her at this time. Other family members tell us that another of Deandre Nembhard's cousin's was shot at. It happened yesterday, and fortunately, nobody was injured. We asked police about it, but they told us that the parties have indicated that they don't want any police action.
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