Tuesday, August 18th, 2015. Aaron Humes Reporting: The North side of Belize City is relatively low on crime. What crime there is tends to occur in the high traffic areas ranging from Marine Parade along Newtown Barracks and up to St. Thomas Street.
However, the area between BTL Park in Belize City and MCC Grounds was on Saturday night the scene of a violent brawl that took the life of a 28 year old city resident and injured 3 others.
But the question tonight is, did police come too little and too late? Reports suggest that despite having resources in the area, like the police booth inside the park, there was as much as a 30-minute delay in the mobile vehicle arriving and another hour to get the area under control.
Today O.C. of Eastern Division (North), Assistant Commissioner of Police Dezerie Phillips, addressed and denied the reports, saying that a mobile was in the area nearby and responded as quickly as possible.
Police arriving on the scene only found the injured persons, including Bishop. They have detained several persons and impounded a vehicle, but according to ACP Phillips the success of the investigation is dependent on persons coming forward and telling what they saw; the victims, while not uncooperative, have provided limited information to go on.
Surveillance cameras in the area provided almost no information and the Department plans to implement a program to help businesses in that area get cameras.
Despite reports suggesting possible gang rivalry Police have not established a motive or even the full sequence of events transpiring.
A post-mortem examination on Bishop’s body is scheduled for Tuesday.