Carib Scope

标签： Belize

伯利兹

  • Maya Leaders Say No Agreement on San Marcos Land

    Maya Leaders Say No Agreement on San Marcos Land

    On May 8, 2026, a stark divide has emerged between government officials and Indigenous Maya leaders over the outcome of a high-stakes meeting addressing a simmering land conflict in Belize’s San Marcos region. While government representatives have framed Wednesday’s negotiating session as a key breakthrough in the years-long dispute between local San Marcos villagers and a private landowner, Maya community leaders say the talks delivered no tangible progress and warn that on-the-ground tensions are rapidly escalating.

    Cristina Coc, spokesperson for both the Toledo Alcaldes Association and the Maya Leaders Alliance, laid out the community’s position in a statement following the meeting, noting the conflict is already on track to be settled in court. She is pressing the Belizean government to intervene proactively to prevent the conflict from boiling over into the same kind of violent unrest that previously destabilized the Indian Creek community.

    At the heart of the standoff is a large tract of land with overlapping claims: private landowner Mr. Peña, who already controls thousands of acres of property in the region, has begun moving forward with clearing new sections of the territory that San Marcos’ Maya residents have held and used under customary communal rights for generations. Peña has retained legal representation, and his legal team is demanding that the entire village sign a legal pledge promising not to enter what the owner classifies as his private property.

    Coc pushed back against this framing, questioning how Indigenous people can be charged with trespassing on land that their community has held inherent customary usage rights to for generations. She emphasized that Wednesday’s meeting produced no substantive agreement to resolve the competing claims. The only outcome from the session was a government plan to dispatch technicians from the national lands department to conduct a formal survey of the overlapping territory, with a follow-up negotiating session scheduled after that work is complete.

    Despite the government’s planned next steps, Coc confirmed that Peña’s legal team has already made clear their intent to file a court case to resolve the dispute on behalf of their client. “We hope and pray that this conflict in San Marcos does not escalate any further, and God forbid we end up in the same situation as Indian Creek,” Coc said, underscoring the community’s fears that inaction will lead to widespread unrest.

  • Maya Leaders Taking GOB Back To CCJ

    Maya Leaders Taking GOB Back To CCJ

    Nearly three years after the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) ended its direct supervision of the long-running Maya land rights conflict in southern Belize, the dispute is once again heading to the regional high court. Maya community leaders announced that bilateral negotiations with the Government of Belize (GOB) have hit a dead end on critical outstanding issues, most notably the formal identification and legal protection of Maya customary land holdings. This latest development has reignited debate over the decades-long fight for indigenous land sovereignty, even as a controversial proposal of monetary compensation has emerged as a potential middle ground for third-party stakeholders.

    Cristina Coc, spokesperson for both the Toledo Alcalde Association and the Maya Leaders Alliance, confirmed that the indigenous leadership has officially filed an application with the CCJ seeking clarification on the core directives of the court’s original 2015 ruling. After years of failed peaceful negotiation attempts, the coalition says turning back to the court is the only viable path forward.

    “The gulf between the Maya people and the Government of Belize on core issues remains unbridgeable, particularly when it comes to mapping and formalizing boundaries for Maya customary lands,” Coc stated in a public address. “We have held dozens of meetings, explored multiple paths to a negotiated settlement, and invested extensive effort into resolving this conflict amicably, but none of these steps have narrowed our differences. We are filing this application because we have made no meaningful, substantive progress on implementing the CCJ’s original consent order and judgment. We hold the court in high esteem, and we are confident that the clarifications it provides will allow both parties to move forward with full, effective implementation of the court’s original ruling.”

    As the dispute drags on, the idea of monetary compensation to resolve conflicting claims has gained mainstream attention, though the proposal remains deeply divisive. Some non-Maya landowners who hold investments in contested territories have indicated they would accept a fair payout to vacate their holdings, while others who have made large long-term investments in the land are unwilling to step away. Maya leaders, for their part, have outlined a nuanced stance on the compensation option, saying it should remain on the table for all parties but must be structured within a constitutional framework to avoid unfair outcomes for indigenous communities.

    Pablo Mis, another spokesperson for the Toledo Alcalde Association and Maya Leaders Alliance, explained that the coalition has already advanced targeted proposals for flexible, constitutionally-compliant compensation models that account for the varying circumstances of different stakeholders. “At its core, compensation should be an available option for both the Maya people and any third parties with claims to the land,” Mis noted. “For example, it would be completely unfair to force a third party who has built a life and made sustained investments on a parcel of land to leave without any compensation. At the same time, it is equally unjust to ask the Maya people to cede vast tracts of their customary land to third-party speculators who have never occupied or developed the land, just to line the pockets of investors. These are complex nuances that require clear, decisive leadership from the Belizean government to address properly.

    Mis added that all compensation negotiations must be rooted in the constitution of Belize as the ultimate guiding framework for both parties. In a nod to the strain ongoing legal and negotiation processes have placed on the country’s public finances, Mis also shared that the Maya coalition has offered an innovative solution to avoid drawing from the national public purse: the creation of a dedicated, independently funded special reserve, developed in partnership with indigenous leaders, to cover compensation costs. This model, he noted, has already been used successfully to resolve similar indigenous land conflicts in other countries.

  • Retail Farmers Claim City Council Pushed Them Out

    Retail Farmers Claim City Council Pushed Them Out

    A growing conflict is unfolding at Belize’s Michael Finnegan Market, where small-scale retail farmers are sounding the alarm over harsh new regulatory measures imposed by the Belize City Council that they say are pushing them out of their longtime operating space.

    The dispute comes just days after the mayor framed the new market rules as a matter of regulatory compliance, denying any widespread misunderstanding of the updated policies. But vendors on the ground say enforcement officers arrived recently to implement strict new trading limitations, slashing their allowed selling days to just one per week: Saturday. For many of these small agricultural producers, this restriction could cost them their entire livelihood.

    Placido Cunil, one of the small retail farmers who relies on the market for income, spoke with local outlet News Five about the sudden changes. Cunil specializes in growing niche Chinese vegetables, a product that has a very specific customer base. Unlike common local produce popular with Belizean consumers, his crops are almost exclusively purchased by Chinese shoppers, who overwhelmingly visit the Michael Finnegan Market on Tuesdays and Fridays to place bulk wholesale orders. Currently, only a handful of local farmers grow these specific vegetables, making those two midweek days critical to Cunil’s business.

    “If I am only allowed to sell on Saturdays, almost none of my regular customers will show up,” Cunil explained. “They only come on Tuesdays and Fridays. I don’t know how I am going to move my product at all.” He added that the enforcement team attributed the policy change to the national government led by Prime Minister Johnny Briceño, though Cunil said he has not been able to confirm whether that claim is accurate. He also noted that when he attempted to record the enforcement officers delivering the new rule, they prohibited him from doing so before leaving abruptly after informing him he could no longer trade on non-Saturdays. The new restrictions apply to all retail farmers operating at the location, Cunil confirmed.

    Local news organization News Five has reached out to the Belize City Council to request comment on the new policy and the vendors’ concerns, though no response has been released publicly as of the May 8, 2026 report. This report is a transcript of a televised evening news broadcast from the outlet.

  • Broaster Takes Rural Central’s Fuel Fight into His Own Hands

    Broaster Takes Rural Central’s Fuel Fight into His Own Hands

    Against a backdrop of soaring global oil prices driven by international tensions, working households across Belize have faced repeated financial strain, with four successive fuel price hikes recorded at the pump since April 2026. While the ruling government has framed the price surges as an uncontrollable external pressure that leaves little room for domestic policy intervention, United Democratic Party (UDP) caretaker for Belize Rural Central Edward Broaster has rejected that stance, launching an independent local fuel relief program on May 8 that doubles as a public challenge to official policy.

    Broaster’s initiative offers eligible voters in his constituency a $2 discount per gallon of fuel, capped at 10 gallons per voter — translating to a maximum total relief of $20 per person. Unlike many partisan political programs, the discount is open to all registered voters in Belize Rural Central regardless of party affiliation, a point explicitly emphasized by both Broaster’s team and participating residents.

    The program was set to kick off at 8 a.m., but eager residents began lining up as early as 7:30 a.m. to access the relief, with even voters registered in Ladyville who currently reside in Belize City making the trip to claim the discount. When reporters arrived on site, Broaster confirmed that roughly two-thirds of the program’s allocated funds had already been disbursed, with processing moving quickly to serve the steady stream of arriving residents. Broaster noted that the initiative would wrap up immediately once all allocated funds were exhausted, but early feedback from participating residents had been overwhelmingly positive.

    In a statement on site, Broaster framed the initiative as more than just short-term relief: he called out the government for imposing heavy tax burdens on working-class Belizean households while extending tax breaks to large million-dollar corporations, arguing that targeted government action could deliver far broader, lasting relief to citizens struggling with fuel costs.

    Many participating residents echoed this sentiment, noting that even the one-day small-scale relief makes a meaningful difference for households already stretching tight budgets. Several residents pointed to compounding cost pressures: ongoing highway construction work increases fuel consumption for daily commutes, while unaddressed road maintenance adds extra vehicle repair costs that already strain household finances. While many acknowledged that global market forces do push base fuel costs higher, they universally called on the government to cut fuel taxes and reorder national spending priorities to ease the burden on working families. “Every penny counts,” one resident explained, noting that even a small reduction in prices would deliver significant relief for most households.

    Alongside the fuel discount program, Broaster’s team also organized a complimentary Mother’s Day raffle for participating residents, with prizes ranging from large household appliances including 50-inch televisions, stoves and microwaves to small electronics, kitchenware and linens.

    As of the end of the program’s first day, it remains unclear whether the Belizean government will respond to Broaster’s call and implement broader, nationwide fuel tax relief to address ongoing public pressure over rising prices.

  • Fuel Fight Ignites: Government Pushback Meets Broaster’s Counterstrike

    Fuel Fight Ignites: Government Pushback Meets Broaster’s Counterstrike

    As of May 8, 2026, a bitter public political dispute over fuel price relief has erupted in Belize, pitting the sitting government against a caretaker from the country’s main opposition party. The conflict kicked off after United Democratic Party (UDP) caretaker for Belize Rural Central Edward Broaster unveiled a localized fuel relief initiative, prompting pushback from the administration’s top transport official.

    When pressed for comment on Broaster’s proposal this week, Transport Minister Dr. Louis Zabaneh struck a conciliatory opening tone, saying he welcomed the opposition figure’s willingness to address public hardship around fuel costs. But he quickly sharpened his critique, arguing that a targeted giveaway for a single electoral constituency cannot fulfill the national mandate that comes with holding national office — a duty to deliver tangible relief to all Belizean residents, not just one voting bloc.

    Broaster did not wait long to fire back in an exclusive interview with local outlet News Five, turning the minister’s challenge back on the sitting government. When Zabaneh called for a nationwide rollout of relief to prove the policy’s merit, Broaster embraced that framing: that is exactly the outcome opposition figures want, he said, because the incumbent government holds all the institutional authority and regulatory power to slash fuel prices at a national scale. Broaster argued that the government has deliberately dodged its responsibility to lower costs, and that the minister’s critique only exposes the ruling party’s lack of care for working Belizeans.

    “I don’t hold the national budget or the regulatory power to roll this out across the country. That power rests entirely with the Prime Minister,” Broaster noted, pointing to the Prime Minister’s own repeated public claims that he has the capacity to cut fuel prices. Broaster went on to challenge the government’s track record, highlighting that fuel prices have been raised repeatedly since the Prime Minister took office: ten separate hikes hit consumers in 2022 alone, with additional increases in the years following. He dismissed the Prime Minister’s go-to justification that global conflicts are to blame for sustained high prices, saying the administration has more than enough room to bring costs down regardless of international volatility.

    Broaster also dismissed the government’s existing small relief measure as inconsequential: the 68-cent excise tax cut the Prime Minister has touted is little more than nominal, he argued, because the government still retains steep environmental and goods and services taxes on fuel that deliver massive revenue to the state. Broaster admitted that his localized constituency relief push is a deliberate political gesture, framing it as a necessary gimmick to force the ruling government into meaningful action that eases cost-of-living burdens for all Belizeans.

    This report is a transcribed excerpt from News Five’s evening television broadcast, reproduced for online readers.

  • Belizean Company Eyes Sargassum as Economic Gold

    Belizean Company Eyes Sargassum as Economic Gold

    For years, thick, foul-smelling mounds of sargassum seaweed have plagued Belize’s tropical coastline, turning postcard-perfect beaches into unpleasant, unusable expanses. The invasive algae has frustrated local residents, driven away beach-going tourists, and created a persistent, costly environmental headache that has left officials and communities scrambling for long-term solutions. Now, one homegrown Belizean company is flipping the script on this persistent problem, reimagining the abundant seaweed not as hazardous waste, but as an untapped economic resource that could drive local development and solve two pressing challenges at once.

    Building Belize Better Manufacturing Co., a local startup co-founded by Gregory Lavalley, is developing innovative processes to convert harvested sargassum into two high-demand, eco-friendly products: sustainable construction blocks and nutrient-rich livestock feed. The venture addresses a gaping unmet need in Belize’s domestic construction market, Lavalley explains: currently, no local manufacturer produces eco-construction blocks at the mass scale needed to meet projected infrastructure demand across the country’s northern development corridor over the next five years. Lavalley estimates the current supply gap for construction blocks in the region ranges from 2 million to 7 million units, a shortfall that currently forces developers to rely on more expensive, carbon-heavy imported materials.

    By using locally harvested sargassum as a core input for these blocks, the company can cut production costs, reduce reliance on foreign imports, and create much-needed employment in rural coastal communities that have been hit hard by struggling fisheries this year. “This is a way for us to turn this crisis or environmental issue into a great opportunity to help with the community, build out local infrastructure, and support economic growth without having to bring in imported products,” Lavalley explained in an interview. “It’s going to bring steady labor to the rural villages, which rely heavily on the fisheries, which they’ve been kind of cut short this year. So we’re hoping that this is a great opportunity for the government as well as the community and our company to partner up and kind of figure out the best solution to how we can help with the problem.”

    If the initiative scales successfully, it will deliver widespread benefits beyond job creation and infrastructure development: it will also slash the millions of dollars Belize spends annually on sargassum cleanup operations, while turning a pollutant that damages coastal ecosystems into a revenue-generating resource. The project remains in its early stages, Lavalley notes: initial product testing is set to launch later this month, and full commercial production could be up and running within six to 12 months pending all necessary regulatory approvals. For a country grappling with a growing sargassum crisis and uneven rural economic development, the venture offers a groundbreaking, circular economy model that turns a pressing environmental problem into a catalyst for local growth.

  • Turneffe Flats Sets the Standard for Sustainable Tourism

    Turneffe Flats Sets the Standard for Sustainable Tourism

    Nestled on the remote, unconnected Turneffe Atoll, 30 miles off the coast of Belize City, a luxury island resort is rewriting the rulebook for the global travel industry, proving that high-end hospitality and rigorous environmental stewardship do not have to be mutually exclusive. This week, Turneffe Flats earned the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s prestigious Excellence in Sustainable Tourism Award, a regional honor that highlights years of consistent, intentional work to embed eco-friendly practices into every layer of the resort’s operations.

    Unlike many properties that treat sustainability as a one-off marketing initiative, Turneffe Flats’ green commitments grew out of necessity born from its off-grid location. Cut off from Belize’s mainland power and water infrastructure, the resort was forced to innovate independent systems to meet its needs decades ago, a challenge that evolved into a core organizational culture. Over the past seven years, the resort has built out a comprehensive solar energy system that now meets 75% of its total electricity demand, drastically cutting carbon emissions that would otherwise come from fossil fuel-powered generators. For water, the resort relies entirely on rainwater harvesting, with on-site storage capacity holding more than 250,000 gallons to meet the needs of guests and staff year-round.

    But the award recognized more than just the resort’s large-scale renewable energy and water projects, according to General Manager Angel Marin. It also honored the small, daily operational choices that make sustainability a ubiquitous part of life on the atoll. The resort has eliminated nearly all single-use plastics, swapping disposable bottles and containers for reusable glass bottles and refillable pouches. It also operates a zero-waste-remaining policy on the island: all trash is sorted, compacted, and transported back to the mainland for proper disposal, with no waste buried or left behind to risk contaminating the atoll’s fragile marine ecosystem.

    For the Turneffe Flats leadership team, the regional award is far more than a personal accolade. The resort’s core long-term mission extends far beyond its own property lines, with managers working to inspire other tourism businesses across Belize and the broader Caribbean, as well as ordinary residents, to adopt small, accessible eco-friendly habits that add up to large, lasting positive change for the planet’s future. What began as a practical adaptation to an off-grid location has grown into a model for sustainable tourism that other coastal and remote destinations can learn from, demonstrating that environmental responsibility can coexist with a luxury guest experience.

  • A New Beginning: How Stella Maris is Redefining Inclusive Education

    A New Beginning: How Stella Maris is Redefining Inclusive Education

    Nestled in Belize, a one-of-a-kind public educational institution has spent nearly seven decades reimagining what it means to leave no child behind – and now, it is opening its doors to the nation to share its transformative model of inclusive learning. Founded in 1958, Stella Maris stands as the country’s only public school dedicated exclusively to serving children with diverse abilities, where going above and beyond for every student is not a one-off outreach project, but a baked-in daily standard that shapes every interaction on campus. As part of the Ministry of Education’s national MoRE Campaign, which challenges educational institutions to expand their impact beyond core academics with a specific focus on deepening inclusion, the school is inviting the public to witness a transformation that stretches far beyond new infrastructure. In this week’s “The Bright Side” segment, correspondent Sabreena Daly shares the story of the community redefining inclusive education for Belize.

    Ten-year-old James Ramos arrived at Stella Maris just one week before Daly’s visit, relocating from a mainstream primary school in southern Belize where his experience of education was far from welcoming. For James, who makes a nightly routine of watching the news, his first days at the new school have already brought a dramatic shift. When Daly asked if he had made new friends, the 10-year-old grinned and answered simply: “Hmm. A lot!” That sense of belonging is the exact opposite of what he left behind at his previous school, a change his father gambled on when he chose to uproot his entire life to access a school that meets James where he is. After just five days, that gamble has already paid off.

    What James discovered in his first week is the product of 68 years of deliberate, student-centered work that is now sparking a national conversation about educational inclusion in Belize. As Doreth Pascascio-Griffith, the school’s new principal, explains, the MoRE Campaign’s inclusion pillar asks a straightforward, challenging question: How truly inclusive can a school be? For Stella Maris, the answer has been baked into its mission from the start – what is new is the push to invite the broader Belizean community to see that work in action.

    “It is very important for Stella Maris to do more, especially with the type of kids that we have, or dynamic kids that people would say are always left behind,” Pascascio-Griffith says. “At Stella Maris, no child is left behind. Yes, they learn differently, and yes, we as administrators are going to ensure that we’re here to do more for these students academically and with our life skill program.”

    That commitment takes tangible shape across the school’s nine purpose-fitted classrooms, which serve more than 150 students with a fully personalized learning framework split into two core pathways. The Foundation Years pathway builds foundational literacy and numeracy skills tailored to each student’s pace, while the Life Skills Learning Center focuses on building independence and communication that students can carry into adulthood. For Pascascio-Griffith, the ultimate goal goes far beyond academics: she wants every student to leave Stella Maris feeling loved, confident, and prepared to thrive in the wider world.

    That mission extends far beyond formal lesson plans, woven into the small, caring acts that define daily life on campus. While early childhood educator Verie Vassel leads morning numeracy lessons for five-year-old learners in Room One, teacher Karen Williams in Room Nine completes a daily routine that does not appear in any official curriculum: combing a student’s hair. Across the campus, teachers step in to bathe students, change diapers, and help children stay fresh and comfortable every single day – tasks the staff see as core to their role, not extra work.

    “We have our wipes, we have Pampers, we have powder. If they need a little bit of water, you know, we have the water. We kind of, you know, give them the bath, and we have them fresh every single day. That’s our job, and we love it,” Vassel says.

    Under Pascascio-Griffith’s new leadership, Stella Maris is not only expanding its support for students – it is also building stronger connections with families and the broader community. The school has launched a new public website, a monthly WhatsApp newsletter to keep parents updated, and an active parent-teacher association that gives families a formal voice in school operations. For parents like Doreen Balthazar, the new outreach efforts have been transformative, offering actionable guidance for supporting neurodivergent children both at school and at home.

    The broader Belizean community has stepped up to support the school’s mission in turn. Local community partners donate school supplies, daily meals, and holiday gifts for students, while public agencies including the Coast Guard and Fisheries Department partner directly with students on hands-on learning. Most importantly, these community partnerships have opened new pathways to real-world work experience: this year alone, 15 Stella Maris students secured workplace placements across 11 local businesses, gaining on-the-job skills that open the door to future employment.

    “It starts here, and then we take them out into the real world. And I must say thanks to these businesses that had an open heart to take these students,” Pascascio-Griffith says, noting that students build foundational employable skills – like packing store shelves – on campus, preparing them for formal roles with local employers after graduation.

    For James Ramos, that future of opportunity is just beginning. One week into his time at Stella Maris, he already carries the bright, open energy of a child who has finally found a community that accepts him for who he is. His journey mirrors the school’s own next chapter: after decades of quiet, dedicated work, Stella Maris is stepping into the national spotlight to share its model, with the mission of expanding inclusive opportunity for all diverse learners across Belize. What the school has proven, after nearly 70 years, is that “doing more” was never an ambitious goal – it was always just the baseline for serving every child.

  • Hantavirus Outbreak Triggers US Quarantine Response

    Hantavirus Outbreak Triggers US Quarantine Response

    A deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard the cruise vessel MV Hondius has left three people dead and prompted an urgent international public health response, with more than 100 remaining passengers stranded on the ship as containment efforts ramp up. Global health agencies first activated emergency response protocols immediately after the initial case of the virus was confirmed, marking one of the first major hantavirus incidents linked to a commercial cruise ship in recent years.

    As of the latest update, all U.S. citizens on the MV Hondius are set to be transferred to a specialized quarantine facility in Nebraska, the only federally funded unit of its kind in the United States. The cruise ship is currently on track to dock in the Canary Islands this coming Sunday, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed it is deploying a team of public health specialists to meet the vessel upon arrival to coordinate the transfer process.

    The National Quarantine Unit, located in Nebraska and operated jointly by Nebraska Medicine and the University of Nebraska Medical Center, is purpose-built to manage outbreaks of highly dangerous communicable diseases. The facility features 20 private single-occupancy rooms, each equipped with standalone negative air pressure systems that prevent airborne pathogens from spreading outside isolation areas, a critical design feature for containing respiratory and aerosol-spread viruses.

    In a public statement, the University of Nebraska confirmed that its response teams are fully staffed and prepared to accept passengers if needed, noting that existing protocols are in place to deliver safe care to affected individuals while protecting medical staff and the surrounding local community. Beyond the incoming passengers set for quarantine, public health departments across multiple U.S. states have already launched active monitoring programs for passengers who disembarked the MV Hondius earlier and have returned to their home communities, to catch any potential new cases early before further spread can occur.

    The Nebraska facility has a proven track record of handling high-stakes outbreak response: it treated patients during the 2014 West African Ebola crisis, and accepted evacuated passengers from the COVID-19-stricken Diamond Princess cruise ship during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

    International public health partners are also mobilizing to monitor the situation. Belize’s Ministry of Health and Wellness confirmed this week that it is tracking the outbreak closely and maintaining ongoing communication with the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) as well as other regional and global health partners. The agency noted that for the moment, the risk of widespread hantavirus transmission remains low across the Caribbean region.

    In a statement released Wednesday, CARPHA said it will continue supporting the Caribbean’s tourism sector by strengthening regional surveillance systems to detect and contain emerging outbreaks quickly, to keep both local residents and international visitors safe. Hantavirus, which is most commonly transmitted to humans from rodent excreta, can cause severe respiratory illness and has a mortality rate of roughly 38% for the most common pathogenic strain found in North America, making rapid containment a top priority for global health officials.

  • Mother Loses Second Son to Gun Violence

    Mother Loses Second Son to Gun Violence

    In a devastating repeat of tragedy that has rocked a Belize City family, Helen Samuel is mourning the murder of her second son to gun violence, 12 years after she laid her first child to rest.

    On the night of Thursday, May 8, 2026, 29-year-old construction worker Jamal Samuels was fatally shot in the area outside the No. 24 CET construction site in central Belize City. The killing has left his grieving mother struggling to comprehend how her family has once again been torn apart by armed crime.

    In an exclusive interview with local outlet News 5, Samuel shared that law enforcement has barred her from viewing her son’s remains as the homicide investigation remains active. According to her account, Jamal had only left the family home that evening to purchase cannabis, with every intention of returning immediately after.

    Helen described her son as a homebody who rarely ventured out to socialize, saying, “He not a person who hangs. He was at home by his house. He would roll up the weed and sit down in front of the yard and smoke and drink. I think he just was there at the wrong time because he doesn’t usually go out there.” She told reporters she believes Jamal may have made a quick stop to visit an old friend he had not caught up with in a long time, putting him in the wrong place at the fateful moment of the shooting.

    The mother stressed that Jamal had no known conflicts with anyone in the community, adding, “I talked to him yesterday, and he didn’t tell me nothing… He didn’t have any bad arguments with nobody.”

    This is not the first devastating loss Helen has endured. Her oldest son, Robert “Bolo” Tracy, was killed in a separate gun-related incident back in 2014. She also previously lost an infant son when he was just 9 months old. Before Thursday’s shooting, Jamal was the oldest of her surviving children. Today, three of Helen’s children have died prematurely, and a fourth remains in police detention pending an open investigation, leaving the grieving mother with no surviving children living free at home.

    The killing comes as Belize City continues to grapple with persistent rates of gun violence that have left hundreds of families grieving similar losses in recent years.