On the evening of November 15, 2025, 36-year-old Byron James was ambushed and fatally shot outside his family’s home on Castle Street in Belize District. Police were called to the scene shortly before 10 p.m. after relatives discovered James lying motionless in the yard. Investigators revealed that two masked individuals entered the property through a fence on the north side, shot James multiple times, and fled the scene.
James had a history of legal troubles, including a 2017 conviction for the 2012 murder of Frank Vasquez on Neal’s Pen Road. At the time of his death, he was out on bail and had previously faced charges for assaulting a court reporter during his trial. Despite his criminal record, those who knew him personally described James as a quiet, humble individual who had endured significant personal loss. A childhood friend, now working with James’s brother, shared that James was deeply affected by the deaths of both his parents—his mother to COVID-19 and his father to natural causes.
‘He was a humble soul who kept to himself,’ the friend told News Five. ‘Even after prison, he came out even more humble. I can’t understand why someone would ambush him like this and take his life. He wasn’t someone who sought attention or caused trouble.’
In a separate incident, police in Dangriga are investigating the murder of 27-year-old Oscar Williams Jr., who was shot dead in his home on Rear Pine Street the same night. The community is left grappling with the senseless violence that has claimed two lives.