October was always a month of celebration for Sandy Smith and her son, Shamar. Their birthdays were just one day apart. But this year, instead of planning two celebrations, Sandy is preparing to bury her twenty-year-old son. Gunmen killed Shamar on Pelican Street Thursday night, leaving another family to confront the pain of Belize City’s gun violence. Police say the murder may be rooted in an ongoing rivalry, and they are now working to prevent retaliation. News Five’s Britney Gordon reports.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
For years, October brought back-to-back birthdays for Sandy Smith and her son, Shamar. It was their time to celebrate together. But this October, a mother who should be preparing for two birthdays is now mourning a son she never expected to lose. Gunmen killed twenty-year-old Shamar Smith shortly after nine-thirty Thursday night. Police say he was socializing with a group on Pelican Street when several people arrived in a vehicle and opened fire. Officers later found him lying in a drain with multiple gunshot injuries.
Hilberto Romero
ACP Hilberto Romero, Head, National Crimes Investigation Branch
“Around nine thirty last night, police responded to another shooting in Belize City. They visited Pelican Street, where they saw the lifeless body of a familiar person in a drain. He was identified as Shamar Smith. Information says Smith was in the area hanging out with other persons when the persons arrived in a vehicle and fired several shots towards his direction, causing his fatal injuries. Smith was taken for treatment but was pronounced dead on arrival at the KHMH.”
Sandy was at work when the first call came. At first, she could not believe what she was hearing. Then came another call, followed by the painful journey to Pelican Street, where she saw her son lying on the ground.
Voice of: Sandy Smith
Voice of: Sandy Smith, Mother of Deceased
“Afterwards, they call again and then say yes and that’s how come I end up left work and gone. See my son pan the scene. And da no wa nice feeling. Da no something nice that nobody want to see, them pickney pan the ground, you know? You don’t want to see your pickney like that. But at the end of the day, only God, you could put everything in a God hand.”
Police say Shamar was no stranger to law enforcement. Authorities had previously charged him in connection with a 2024 shooting at the Roaring Creek Police Station. Earlier this year, police also named him as a suspect in a separate Belize City shooting. Investigators now believe an ongoing rivalry may have caught up with him.
ACP Hilberto Romero
“He has rivalry with several persons in the city.”
Police are also preparing for what could follow. Investigators fear Shamar’s killing could trigger another round of violence, and they have increased operations across the city to contain any threat of retaliation.
ACP Hilberto Romero
“There is concern that there will be retaliation at the moment, we are launching several operations and holding several meetings to try and hold down any threat of any retaliation.”
For Sandy, the tragedy carries an even deeper pain. Gun violence also claimed the life of Shamar’s father, Floyd McFadzean, in 2008. It was a fate she feared for her son and one she desperately hoped he would escape. Still, Sandy does not pretend that Shamar lived a perfect life. She speaks openly about his choices and the consequences that followed, even as she struggles to remain strong through the loss.
Voice of Sandy Smith, Mother of Deceased
“To be honest, yes, Shamar do a lot of things. And then like where, like where the Bible always say, right? Whatever you reap, you sow. So dat da weh make I stand up here still strong. You know, di try stay strong because then at the end of the day, we’re not perfect. Nobody perfect.”
She remembers Shamar as fun-loving and full of energy. Like many mothers, Sandy says she offered advice and tried to steer him in the right direction. But she also knew she could not make his decisions for him.
Voice of Sandy Smith, Mother of Deceased
“Only could talk much today, you know, you know, give him good advice. And if he no take it, then I can’t do nothing about it. You just have to watch how life cause da no we decide how we a live we life, that God, if he said a time for you go home, the time for you go home, Shamar.”
Now, with her son gone and another family shattered by gun violence, Sandy says she will not allow anger to consume her. She is leaning on her faith and refusing to wish harm on those responsible.
Voice of Sandy Smith, Mother of Deceased
“I no wa hate nobody, and I no wish no negative by nobody. All I could say, God knows best, and he a see me through this.”
Police are reviewing surveillance footage from the Pelican Street area, but investigators have not yet arrested anyone for Shamar Smith’s murder. Britney Gordon for News Five.
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