It was a terrifying start to the weekend on Friday night when a football game erupted into mayhem - as shots were fired, leaving a prominent gang figure dead, 3 men shot, and the whole stadium scrambling for their lives. Gang leader Brandon Baptist was killed and thrown over the bleachers at the Marion Jones Stadium.
Baptist has been featured in our newscast frequently as a member of the Back-a-land Crips - known as BLC. But for the past few years, he has been preaching peace in the streets and attempting to change his life. He was said to be on the path to reformation when he was killed.
But this murder leaves many questions: did Baptist trigger the shooting? Didn't police officers check for firearms? And will there be retaliation?
Courtney Menzies visited his home today and spoke with his mother, who has given interviews in the past about officers taking advantage of her sons. Here is the family's version of events.
Marion Jones' bleachers were filled on Friday night as football fans watched the BDFA semifinals, Reggae Boyz vs Survivors. The first half was almost over when gunshots were fired and chaos erupted. When the smoke cleared, the body of 39 year old Brandon Baptist was lying on the ground, and three more persons had been shot.
Baptist was no stranger to the law, the media, or anyone living in the "back-a-land" area. Among his list of charges throughout his life was a murder that he was ultimately acquitted of - twice. A few years later, he was again charged for another murder.
Baptist had spent a chunk of his life in and out of court and prison. But his mother - who has always spoken up for him in the past - said she didn't expect his death since he had made concrete steps to change his life.
Denise Flowers, Mother of Deceased
"That is not a pretty feeling. Up to now, I feel, man, you know. Because I think that was very uncalled for and the real thing that's hurting me, my son made peace with all those guys. And they still ended up killing my son. My son changed his life. My son turned to God and the thing that tick me off is that they didn't have to kill me son like that, they chanced my son out of his life."
"They are humans, I am humans, they could die too but I'm not in that world, I am leaving them to God because there is a God. What goes around, comes around."
"They're clapping, they're joyful, they're laughing, they're having parties over my son's head. But when their day comes, I hope they can handle it."
Baptist was involved with the Leadership Intervention Unit, among other initiatives he tried to organize in his community. Exactly one month ago, the Commissioner of Police was in the BLC area speaking with him. In 2021, the BLC and their rivals, the PIV gang held a joint press conference to plead for peace, with Baptist as one of the spokespersons.
And according to his mother, he had once saved the life of the very same man who killed him.
Denise Flowers, Mother of Deceased
"My son does a lot of programs, my son is with the LIU, and my son is always making the peace. the same one who killed him, I'm not telling lies, that same one who killed my son, they wanted to kill that boy because he did a lot of things. Brandon said, peace again, don't do that, back down. Don't do that, leave the boy, we are making peace. The same one. They did peace with my son to kill my son. Because they same ones came into my yard to have peace with Footy Gongora, came to have peace with them and those same ones turned around and killed my son and that really hurt me."
"Those guys are demons, they're evil people, if they weren't evil people, they wouldn't be thinking about killing, they would be thinking about the Almighty Father and that's why they didn't like B because B was changing his life, so what did they do? They took my son out of the world because I could attest that my son changed."
Flowers explained that her son went to watch his brothers at the football match. He was with his cousin, Cameron Williams, who was also shot during the altercation. Williams said that Baptist went up the bleachers to speak with the rival group and when he was heading back down, the gunshots started.
Voice of: Cameron Williams, Shooting Victim/Cousin of Deceased
"When I heard the gunshots, I looked up and saw my family getting into a commotion with the next side. When I saw my family getting into a commotion with the next side I was thinking of popping upstairs and helping my family. I punch the person that was holding down my family three time to let go my family and he didn't let go of my family and the gunman came from upstairs the same time and shot my family underneath his armpit and the next two people who were with them from the next side grabbed my family from his feet and flipped him over. And then I punched the man three times to let go my family, the next one came from behind me to grab me to do the same thing they did to my family, but I elbowed him in his nose and when I elbow him in his nose, that's when they let me go and when I went down the steps, gunman aimed the gun at me and shot my in my hand too because they want to do the same thing that they did to my family."
"They really hurt me and they hurt my hand. I don't want to talk a lot about those things. I just want justice for my family."
Courtney Menzies:
"But you guys didn't go there for any- you guys went there to enjoy the game?"
Voice of: Cameron Williams, Shooting Victim/Cousin of Deceased
"To go and enjoy the game, they're the ones that came like they're tempting us. They came beside us first, the first crowd came first then a second crowd pulled up and then a next crowd pulled up and they stayed right beside us then when it looked like someone pulled up, one of the big dogs, all of them went over us and I didn't even know when that happened, I didn't even know when they moved from beside us. I don't even know why my family came to the game."
Williams also said that they were never searched by any of 3 police officers who were responsible for keeping the crowd safe.
Courtney Menzies:
"Were police searching you guys?"
Voice of: Cameron Williams, Shooting Victim/Cousin of Deceased
"No ma'am. nothing happened. The police just left people to walk past them when they put on the bands, the police just left them to walk past. So people could have walked in with more than 10 guns in that spot if they wanted to kill somebody. No kind of security. I don't want to say the word but that's ***obscenity*** that police are doing out there."
And if Baptist hadn't been killed that night, he would've been at church like he is every Sunday.
Linda Evans, Friend of Deceased
"He said, I'm going to be a pastor, you know. And so every time we get together he'd talk about that and he talked about that he wants change, and he wants change for Belize and the city and the kids and the yard and how he wanted things to change. And you know when we come to God, it's steps but each month, each week, he's grown closer to God and last Sunday he came to church with me and four other guys who are also wanting change in Belize and he was so excited about coming to church yesterday and he invited people here in the yard, he invited a next "street figure," several of them actually, and he was just excited about the change, he was excited that he was going to be a new person and help people grow and help people change."
But now, Baptist's mother says he can finally be at peace.
Denise Flowers, Mother of Deceased
"A lot of things that used to hurt me with some of the police, everything that happens, they run come to my yard. If a vehicle comes here, they run come here, if a cycle comes, police comes here. It's like we're not living, you don't go anywhere."
"They have a camera right now in my yard, I can't even piss in my yard good. And only here they do it to."
"If a pin drops out there, it's Brandon Baptist. But anyway, I will end it off with this: Brandon Baptist is no more. He won't go through harassment in his death, he's in peace right now. That's the only thing I have to say."
John Grinage also received one gunshot to the right side of the chest and one to the lower back, while Herson Mena received one shot to the right side of the neck.
Baptist was previously shot back in March 2020.