Teen Killed in Port Loyola Shooting

At around 8:40 last night, gunshots shattered the silence on Grace Ebanks Street in the Port Loyola area of Belize City. Moments later, residents discovered 19-year-old Lamar Garnett lying motionless in a pool of blood inside the yard of a home just off Jane Usher Boulevard.  Police have since confirmed that officers responded to the area and found Garnett on the ground with several gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Initial investigations reveal that Garnett, a Belizean laborer, was at home inside the yard when a male person of Hispanic descent allegedly approached him, produced a firearm, and opened fire in his direction. After the shooting, the gunman reportedly fled through the back of the yard and escaped.  While police are yet to establish a motive, speculation has already begun circulating within the community. Off camera, persons close to the family told our newsroom they believe Garnett’s killing may be connected to the recent double murder involving 17-year-old Alwin Marin Junior and 18-year-old Jahleil Westby. Marin’s decomposing body was discovered in bushes on April 16, not far from the location where Westby’s body had been found days earlier on April 10.