18-Year-Old Killed in Targeted Shooting; Family Shares Their Pain

Over the weekend, a teenager who was far too familiar with gun violence lost his life at the hands of a gunman. On Sunday evening, 18-year-old Trayson Gibson left his home on Rivero Street to socialize with friends just a stone’s throw away. A short while later, the group was targeted by two armed men who opened fire indiscriminately. The bullets struck a disabled Gibson, who was unable to avoid the gunfire, as well as 22-year-old Adrian Welch. The pair were both transported to the hospital, where Gibson died. Vejea Alvarez spoke to his family earlier today.  Here is his story. 

Vejea Alvarez, Love News: A tragic shooting in Belize City has claimed the life of a paralyzed teen and left another young man hospitalized. Just after 7 o’clock, 18-year-old Tracen Gibson and 22-year-old Adrian Welch were among a group socializing when gunmen on a motorcycle opened the fire. Gibson, who was confined to a wheelchair, was hit to the back and died while being transported to the hospital. Meanwhile, Welch was shot and taken to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where he remains. Gibson’s family is in shock, stating that it was the second time he had become an innocent victim of gun violence. His mother, Crystal Arnold, says her son had spent the entire day at home before heading out to visit his cousin a short distance away. 

Crystal Arnold, Mother: “I had just come home from work when my mom called me and told me to hurry come because they just shot Tay Tay and I was like “What ? No. Can’t.” I rushed come and they had already taken him. He had just gone down by the neighbor, before he went down there he was in front of my gate, in front of my mom’s gate and he just….because his electric wheelchair he moves around and he just decided to drive down and it was just wrong place at the wrong time that ended up happening to him. It really really hurt because whoever this young man is that did that to my child you see that child is in a wheelchair why pull the trigger at him ? You know ? Back down ? You know ?.”

Vejea Alvarez, Love News: Gibson was a jovial youth, despite being paralysed from the waist down in a previous shooting incident in April 2022. He was shot multiple times at his home in Mahogany Heights Village when a gunman barged inside. His mother says his death has now left their family completely heartbroken. 

Crystal Arnold, Mother: “It’s hard in a lot of ways because Tay Tay was the humblest child for me. Tay Tay listened, Tay Tay was smart, Tay Tay didn’t fool with people you know from the first time when they shot him two years ago at Heights he never deserved, he got profiled for something he didn’t do. He got hurt for it innocently. Ended up in a wheelchair were by his side a hundred and fifty thousand percent as much as we could then this happened last night and again innocently. It’s just crazy and now I have to try to find the finance to bury my child. I would really want him to give himself in, honestly because I know where he is he feels bad because it was somebody that couldn’t even help himself, he couldn’t get up and run, he couldn’t do anything. Why hurt him ?”

Vejea Alvarez, Love News: Gibson spent the last couple of years of his life with his grandmother and back in October last year spoke to her newsroom about the way his life was altered by gun violence. 

Trayson Gibson, Shooting Victim: “Changed me a lot. I can’t do what I want like that anymore, mostly stay in the house and not do anything like that. Changed a lot and all I was doing before I couldn’t walk, playing ball, sports, all of those things can’t play anymore right now. It hurts a lot. I ended up stopping school for a little while because of this injury here because I couldn’t go to school for a little while.”

Vejea Alvarez, Love News: You still want to go back ? 

Trayson Gibson, Shooting Victim: “Well yes, I still want to go back to school. It will be a little difficult for me.”

Vejea Alvarez, Love News: And while the teen never made it back to school to achieve his dreams, his mother says Gibson found plenty of other ways to keep himself occupied. And she says all she has left now are memories of him. 

Crystal Arnold, Mother: “Since he left paralyzed he turned to games, to Free Fire and those and we ended up getting a tv for him and his game where he could play on the tv in his room so he could play in his room but you know at times he will want to free up so he won’t want to stay in the house the entire day and that’s what ended up happening. He wanted to go free up with his friends and his cousins right down the lane because they are neighbors, we’re all neighbors right down the street. So I won’t say that was meant to happen, I would never say that but God made that happen, God knows best.”

Vejea Alvarez, Love News: For Gibson’s family their hope is for the community to one day live without the fear of losing loved ones to gun violence. Last year Gibson had sent a heartfelt message to his fellow youth and stated that he did not have any animosity towards the persons who wronged him.

Trayson Gibson, Shooting Victim: “I don’t have any message for the person that hurt me. I don’t have a message for him but to other youths out there your life can change in one second, any minute you life could change so you can’t want to follow people right now. Be your own self, don’t follow anybody off the street right now because you will get hurt for simple reasons just hanging out with people.”

Vejea Alvarez, Love News: Can you forgive the person that harmed you ? 

Trayson Gibson, Shooting Victim: “Yeah I’d forgive him yeah.”

Vejea Alvarez, Love News: The shooting occurred within shouting distance of a police checkpoint, raising questions about the effectiveness of security in the area. Vejea Alvarez, Love News.