In March, not too long before Belize experienced its first COVID-19 positive case, there was a surge of gun violence in the city. This prompted a State of Emergency to be implemented in Belize City, but not before a number of injuries and several fatalities. One of those shooting murders was that of five-year-old Kia Herbert, a preschooler, who was at home at the time of the shooting. It took place on Tuesday, March 17 at around 1:30 a.m. when two men entered the yard of the Pitter Street home in Belize City. Also injured at the time was Herbert’s grandmother and mother, Frances Herbert, who had made her family sleep on the ground fearing an attack on their lives. This is because, reportedly, they had felt threatened earlier in the day and sleeping on the ground was simply a precaution for their safety. This, however, was not enough as the gunmen fired shots from outside across multiple areas of the wooden home, fatally injuring the five-year-old.
For this incident, police had arrested and charged two men, Lindon Mark Hinds, 27, and Kendale Flowers, 25. Unfortunately, the charges which were levied against Hinds had to be withdrawn from against him due to lack of identification. These include charges of murder, attempted murder, grievous harm, use of deadly means of harm, and conspiracy to commit murder. When the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) called their main witness, she chose not to cooperate and gave inaccuracies as it pertains to Hinds’s description. As a result, the withdrawal had to be made and Hinds, who appeared unrepresented before Magistrate Stephanie Gillett, was free to leave.
