Antonio Flowers was known for his talent on the basketball court, but tonight, family, friends and fellow athletes are mourning a young life ended by bullets. The twenty-five-year-old Dangriga basketball player was shot multiple times Sunday night in Belize City’s Antelope Street Extension area. As investigators search for his killer and a motive, another family is left grieving the devastating cost of gun violence. News Five’s Shane Williams has the story.
Shane Williams
Shane Williams Reporting…
“Twenty-five-year-old elite basketball player, Antonio Flowers, was walking on this street just off Antelope Street Extension when he was ambushed from behind by a gunman wearing a black shirt and a mask covering his face. He was shot multiple times from close range and ran in that direction in an attempt to escape the gunman. Unfortunately, he collapsed just on the street behind us.”
Police are now trying to identify the gunman and uncover what led to the deadly shooting.
Hilberto Romero
ACP Hilberto Romero, Head, National Crimes Investigation Branch
“Information is that he was walking on the street when he was followed by a male person who pulled out a firearm and fired several shots towards his direction, causing his fatal injuries. We are reviewing cameras in the area at this time to try to establish a suspect for this murder.”
Antonio’s mother Tanya Lobo was home when she got the horrifying news.
Voice of: Tanya Lobo
Voice of: Tanya Lobo, Mother of Deceased
“Last night my lee daughter called me and tell me, “Ma, I think Tony got shot. Make you hurry up, come out here,” right? And then when I run out here I noticed – when I ran out here people done de out ya and then they tell me that, “Miss Tanya, your son Tony got shot.” So I tell them, “No,” say I came party then, and they said they gonna carry him to hospital. Then I tell her, “Okay.” Then I, we the police, me did talk to the police after that then. They asked me, they tell me then, I need to go identify the body ’cause he passed away.”
In Dangriga, Flowers is being remembered for much more than the circumstances of his death. Carolyn Jang is an executive member of the Dream Ballers. She says Flowers brought energy to every game and always knew how to lift his teammates’ spirits away from the court.
Carolyn Jang
Carolyn Jang, Executive Member, Griga Dream Ballers
“Tonio was a very jovial person. Workouts were always fun with him around. No matter what happens with the team, he was always there to motivate everyone to let them do better on game days. He used to make workouts a lot fun and everybody’s just remembering him as that person who was always there to make us smile and to push us. He was aggressive on the court. He was our sixth man. He was our best sixth man, and, um, when he came off the bench, he did whatever he had to do to ensure that the team was successful in the game.”
Messages have been pouring in to his family from those who got to meet Antonio, either on the court, on tour or social settings where he was always making sure others had a good time.
Tanya Lobo
“Tonio from lee boy ih like clown himself and thing, like joke around and thing. Ih da Independence Day baby. He born the 21st of September, so ih da wa Independence Day baby and ting. So he just, he just gone through his 21st birthday, but he just like joke around and ting.”
Shane Williams
“Police are reviewing multiple surveillance cameras that are set up right here in this area In an effort to identify the gunman.”
Now, as Flowers’ family, friends and teammates mourn, police are left searching for answers. Shane Williams for News Five.
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