The police have concluded that this murder is gang related. They say the initial shooting carried out by Sanchez and his accomplices was retaliation for the attempted shooting of Patrick "Pato" Jones that occurred Monday night on Mopan Street. According to the ComPol, it was while seeking revenge that Sanchez was fatally shot. Williams explained that tensions have been rising among certain gangs.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"Let me say that what we have seen over the past few weeks is an intense rivalry between George Street and Wagner's Lane which has resulted in many shootings, including one that was fatal. And then, we also have the tension within the Mayflower [Street] area which has expanded to now include PIV. This is a direct result of the shooting at [Patrick] "Pato" Jones' vehicle. You will recall that Pato's vehicle was shot at two nights ago as he traversed the Nargusta Street area, and the shooting itself resulted in him overturning, causing extensive damage to his vehicle. So we saw last night now where apparently PIV retaliated in respect of what happened with Pato. Four members of PIV were dropped off in the area of Logwood Street last night to go and do the execution in retaliation for the Pato shooting. Apparently, as they were making their way to the area where they were supposed to go, the guys from that area spotted them quite a distance away and gave them enough time to have made their way from where they were to another area and what the investigation shows is that one of the guys who had gone to do the execution, he ran into the area firing shots and we believe that he was cornered while doing so and he was fatally shot. Two persons from within the Mayflower area were also shot but they received minor injuries. They were taken to the hospital, treated and released."
"In response to this, police went to the area, we discovered the body of the deceased on the ground, he had one apparent gunshot injury to the shoulder. Subsequent to that, police conducted searches of the area and two 9mm pistols were found and we believe that those weapons were the weapons of choice used in that shooting within the Mayflower area. We also were able to detain one suspect from the crowd that went in and the guns were found not too far away from where he was and so certainly, he will be charged in respect to the discovery of those weapons."
And reports are that Sanchez was involved in a recent gang mediation - only a day before he allegedly went to carry out this shooting. We asked the ComPol about this.
Reporter
"We know that the young man Sanchez was a part of a mediation meeting on Tuesday morning and he went out to commit an execution like you said on Tuesday night. Does that speak to that fact that these continuous meetings aren't working?"
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"I am not sure if he was a part of any mediation. I don't know of any recent mediation, but if it is as you've said he was in one on Tuesday and next night he was out to carry out an execution, then what does that say, what are they taking us for? It cannot be that you try to take us for a ride or believe that you can come to mediation or be a part of a program during the day and at night you become a gun man. It cannot work and at the end of the day we must that we continue to deal with those young men or gang members who wish to terrorize the people of this city."
And that notion that the much ballyhooed gang mediation is going through a familiar cycle of boom and bust - was much on our minds today - and we'll ask the COMPOL about it later.
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