A terrible crime has been committed against the families of 27-year-old Philip Leslie and 31-year-old Shakira White. This couple lost their lives to gun violence, which caught up with them at their home.
Sometime before 10 p.m. on Sunday, March 15, 2020, Leslie, his common-law wife Shakira White, and white’s two children: a five-year-old and a three-year-old, were inside their bedroom. They lived at White’s extended family home, a two-storey building which is located at the corner of Lavender and 6th Streets in Belize City. A police investigation is indicating that they were all preparing for bed that night when a vehicle was heard parking outside. Shortly after that, the entire house was awoken by the panic that followed when a gunman began spraying bullets into the couple’s bedroom. It appears that the assailant or assailants snuck up to the window of this couple’s bedroom, and a hail of gunshots was sprayed into the couple’s room.
Leslie was severely injured in this apparently senseless shooting, and he died right there in the bedroom. Shakira White also suffered severe injuries, and it is believed that she acted as a protective mother, who used her own body to shield her children from getting injured by the bullets that were fired into their room. Still, they were both hurt. The three-year-old baby girl suffered a bullet graze to one of her knees and so far, the injury is being considered as minor. Her elder brother, five-year-old Dominique Rhamdas, wasn’t so lucky. He was shot several times in the abdomen, and he was rushed to the KHMH in a critical condition. He later died
Police can’t say who the intended target of the deadly shooting was because White’s extended family was at home at the time. The loved ones of the deceased couple are distressed and clueless about this incident because they all agree that neither Phillip Leslie nor Shakira White were caught up with any conflict with the law, or any street activities.
Leslie is described as a hardworking man, who really stepped up to take over the role of stepfather in the lives of White’s two children.
Discussing Leslie’s death with the press, his father, Paladin Leslie described him as a hard-working and honest man.
Paladin Leslie said, “He was always committed to whatever he did. When he wanted something to get done. He always tried to be strong… He didn’t deserve the way he died… He didn’t have a problem with anybody. He’s not in any gang or anything like that he’s just in the morning he always get his stuff ready to sell to, prepare to make his Pizza from Monday to Friday, and then on weekends he sold his paletas.”
Shakira White’s family members also have only good things to say about her character as well.
Her aunt has publicly commented saying, “Those two were a very loving couple always together. Mr. Phillip worked very hard, and he treated her very well. She doesn’t go anywhere; she takes Dominque to school and comes back. She’s always home with us here laughing, talking.”
The families have also shown respect to the sacrifice that White made to try to protect her children from the danger that visited their home.
