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The McFadzean killing was the first for April, and two nights later another Belize City man was murdered. After 10 on Sunday night a group of men were playing cards- when out of nowhere a shooter wearing a black shirt with a black rag over his face appeared from behind some bushes and opened fire. There was no robbery, no argument, just an execution. Jacqueline Godwin tried to find out what was behind it.

Ritamae Cabral, Aunt of Murder Victim
“They didn’t even know he was back there. He just came out and just started to shoot. They didn’t even know this guy was at the back but like I said, I saw the person and I thought it was one of the other guys back there, I didn’t know it was someone with a gun. And he let go the first two shots and I guess he didn’t succeed and he ran to the middle and that’s when he let go the other four shots.”

The cards were left scattered on the ground as an unidentified young man opened fire on twenty two year old Ryan Young who was with a group of friends enjoying a game under this shed at the corner of Faber’s Road and Waight Street.

Voice of Witness,
“I just saw like lone black, I couldn’t even make out who it was and then we heard more shots so I just continue to run upstairs because I didn’t know if it was us he was shooting after next.”

It is believed the killer had been watching the group for quite sometime before he finally made his move. The shooter silently made his way through the high grass situated to the rear of the compound and sneaked up on Ryan Young who was leaning against this wooden building under the shed. There were no hard words, no talk just the sound of gunshots.

Voice of Witness,
“We just know he came from through there and the thing is we didn’t hear nothing or see nothing because if we heard something, we would have peeped out and see if anybody was about but we didn’t even hear nothing. This young boy just came through the bush and creeped up on the man.”

Ritamae Cabral,
“Honestly, I really don’t know what happened last night but I was by window sitting down and he was over there playing cards and I saw this person stand up to the back where they were playing cards in a white shirt. I thought that was one of the other guys from back there and then I heard two gunshots go off and when the two gunshots went off, he ran out of the bush, got more into the middle and let go four more shots and I think that is when the shot caught him because he sneaked into the dark, into the bush, because back there is kind of dark, so we didn’t really see who it was.”

One of the witnesses who did not wish to appear on camera says at first she did not know that one of the bullets had struck her cousin. Young it seems, after being hit at least four times tried to make it home next door. He ran under this house then jumped the zinc fence but he collapsed on the front porch of his family’s home.

Voice of Witness,
“When my other cousin who was down here, when she went on the verandah, she looked over there and she saw him through his door because when I heard the banging from the door I didn’t think he got shot. I thought he was safe but when she bawled out, she ran from over and I ran over there and he was on the ground face down and he was just moaning and then he was trying to help himself breathe and I just saw his hand bleeding.”

Young was shot in both arms, leg and to the side of his chest. He died shortly after being rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital.

Kimberly Cassanova, Sister of murder victim
“Jackie when we put our brother down in the hole, we don’t haveany more brother to see. I love my brother with all my heart. I only have two brother and they took one away from me and I have one more.”

The family cannot say why their brother was killed. Ryan Young better known as ‘Fatback’ is described as a troubled free individual who stayed home most of the time and was not known to have enemies.

Kimberly Cassanova,
“They just took away something from us, they just took away something from we Jackie. They really took away our love because my brother doesn’t mess with nobody. My brother doesn’t know what is a club, Putt Putt or so because he doesn’t go nowhere, he buys his drink and he says right home and plays his stereo an listen to his music.”

Delonie Flores, Sister of Murder Victim
“But from my heart I know my brother isn’t into those things and whosoever killed him, it is either off of somebody who he hangs with or they just, I don’t know, but they just took something, they just ripped out our hearts.”

Kimberly Cassanova,
“This is too much. Many times I watch the news and I see mothers bawling and I can’t believe it would reach our door. Last week my mom’s friend buried one of her sons, Tyrone Castellanos, and I never knew we would bury our brother. I just feel tired, I just want the government - I am begging the government to please do something about it.”

Police say they have no leads in this homicide and no one has been detained. But for those who were under this shed, they say it is clear that Ryan Young was the target.

Voice of Witness,
“Yes I believe so because only him they shoot after. To me he was the only one standing up because he was watching us play cards because he was playing but he stopped; he played and he stopped. And then finally I saw him sitting down here on a cement block but I wasn’t paying him mind to see when he got up and he stood up here and it looked like the person just was waiting for him to stand up by himself and came and just shoot up after him.”

Ritamae Cabral,
“That I don’t know, all I would want to ask him is what is the reason why he shot my nephew and tell we what is the problem because Ryan doesn’t have problem with nobody. Ryan doesn’t nowhere, he hangs right over there and my house. He doesn’t go nowhere and he doesn’t bother with nobody.”

Delonie Flores,
“You just have to left it to God.”

Kimberly Cassanova,
“I just want God please give we justice because we need justice.”

Delonie Flores,
“Even if they find out who it is, they will go to jail for a couple months and they will come out and do the same thing because they don’t care. They feel like they could determine when it is your time to dead.”

ASP Aaron Guzman, Commander – CIB
“What we are finding quite strange is that he was with at least five other persons and he and only he alone received four gunshot wounds.”

An in an update to what we had in that story, one suspect has since been detained for that shooting. Police were on patrol just a short distance away – and they say that has assisted in a rapid assessment of who may be responsible.