Lindon Hinds
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.