Raheem Mahler, a 15 year-old Belize City minor, was murdered in what appears, at this time, to be a simple street fight which escalated to gun violence.
According to police, sometime around 8:45 p.m. on Tuesday, January 17, 2017, they received word that there was a shooting on Iguana Street Extension. They responded and learnt that Mahler, who was injured in that shooting, had been rushed to the KHMH for emergency medical treatment. Unfortunately, the doctors couldn’t do anything for him because the injuries claimed his life on the way there.
What the police have been able to piece together is that Mahler, who is a student living on Fabers Road, was walking with 2 friends on Iguana Street when they were approached by a gunman who fired a hail of bullets at him. He was injured by 8 of them to the chest, the face, the back and the feet, and those injuries claimed his life.
His family says that he left earlier that night to go to a shop, but they expected him to return quickly. When he didn’t, they got worried. Only an hour and a half later, they received the devastating news that he had been gunned down. Reports to the press are that he may have gotten into a fight with some other boys in front of a store on Raccoon Street. It appears that the shooter, believed to have been older than he is, followed him from there, and waited for the opportune moment to open fire.
Police are investigating and they have not ruled out possible gang connection, or the possibility that he may not have been the intended target. As of right now, there is no explanation why Mahler was killed because his family and police are certain that he did not have any street ties. His family says that school was his focus, and if he went anywhere it was to the house of neighbors who they trust.
Police say that they combed the area of the crime scene and found a black Luger brand 9mm pistol in a drain on Iguana Street Extension. They have also detained one person.
