VIDEO: Commissioner of Police comments on the death of Arthur Young

George Street Leader, Pinky, and female companion murdered

Shelton "Pinky" Tillett & Kamille Andrews

There was a prevailing sense of insecurity that enveloped the Old Capital over the weekend as open gang warfare flared up. In the past fifteen days alone, there have been fourteen murders; that's almost one per day. But turning to the bloodbath, at the start of weekend on Friday afternoon, Orlando Reyes was killed at the corner of Orange and George Streets. He was not the intended target but eight hours later, one of the City's most dreaded residents and leader of the George Street Gang, Shelton "Pinky" Tillett was gunned down at a service station along with a female companion. On Saturday afternoon, another gang affiliate from the SSG was killed on Caesar Ridge Road. This morning, the well known gang leader Arthur Young of Taylor's Alley was killed while in the custody of the police. We will have the full reports and the murder scenes of all the murders in the City and another in Belmopan which means that six persons lost their lives in the weekend's violence. We start tonight's newscast with the murder of Shelton August Tillett AKA Pinky of George Street who was killed on Friday night. Considered the most dangerous gang leader, Pinky was murdered just before midnight at a service station on the Northern Highway. He went inside the convenience store and on returning to his vehicle, someone opened fire from a silver pathfinder parked near the street. Pinky died immediately and his female companion, Kamille Andrews, was also shot dead. News Five's Andrea Polanco reports.

Andrea Polanco, Reporting

George Street Gang leader, Shelton "Pinky" August Tillett's vehicle was riddled with bullets on Saturday night shortly before eleven-thirty. Killed on the spot, August is seen slumped over the driver's wheel. He was shot to the center of the chest, left side of the chest, right arm and neck. Also in the vehicle at the time, was twenty-three year old Kamille Andrews, she was also fatally shot to the left arm, left arm pit, right breast and right rib cage. It is reported that Tillett was at the gas station to make a purchase inside the mini-mart, and upon re-entering his vehicle; a man with a dread hat and mask over his face exited a pathfinder and fired the fatal shots:

Fitzroy Yearwood

Insp. Fitzroy Yearwood, Police Press Officer

"A little after eleven o'clock on Friday Shelton August also known as Shelton Tillett, the claimed leader of George Street Gang was driving his white Ford Ranger pickup. He arrived at the Esso Gas Station on the Northern Highway in the company of one Kamille Andrews. Mister August exited the vehicle, made a purchase in the gas station and immediately upon returning into his vehicle, a lone gunman opened fire on him and the female killing both of them on the spot."

Tillett, along with Micah Thompson and now deceased, Charles Woodeye were jointly charged with the San Pedro murder of John Paul Saldivar at the end of January 2009. In 2010, the murder charge against Tillett and four others was withdrawn. In November 2011, Pinky was one of the three men, all affiliates of George Street who won the lawsuit against the government on the grounds of false imprisonment on the murder of John Paul Saldivar. Tillett, Thompson and the family of Woodeye were compensated $25,000 each:

 

Agnes Segura Gillett, Attorney [Nov 15, 2011]


"I think that their life at liberty was worth more than twenty-five thousand dollars. So we are not satisfied with that aspect of the decision. They have been awarded their loss of earning in respect of one of them and they have been awarded their attorney's fees and fees that they had paid in the criminal trial. However they have the recourse of appeal; to appeal the quantum of damages and that will be up to them to decide how to go."

Agnes Segura Gillett

Jules Vasquez, 7News


"Obviously your clients have a certain public reputation and while no evidence was used in court to indicate anything that they are George Street affiliates or anything, do you think that the quantum indicates that there were some sub textual, implicit consideration of that? Because I would like to think that a lay person such like as myself if imprisoned for eleven months, I would get more than twenty-five thousand dollars."


 

Agnes Segura Gillett

"I would hate to think that that was one of the considerations that was taken into account because at the end of the day, they are human beings, they are entitled to liberty and they were deprived of that liberty. They were imprisoned in super max, they gave evidence that they slept on the ground. I mean all of these things affected them psychologically. They were deprived of access to their family. Even if you are a member of a gang, you are still entitled to your freedom and you don't suffer any less because of who you are."

Earlier that year, In September of 2011, Tillett along with key dons of the different gangs, engaged in peace talks with the Prime Minister. That discourse later led to the "gang truce." Back in September of last year, Prime Minister Barrow met with key figures in the George Street Gang after they went public expressing their grievances against the GSU and making blank threats against innocent civilians and public safety.

Dean Barrow

Dean Barrow [Sept 2, 2011]

"The primary purpose was to diffuse the situation in terms fot he threat that had been issued. By the time I got here this afternoon, I learnt that a press release had in fact been given to you yesterday and that the George Street and Affiliates had already given an undertaking. It was nevertheless necessary to confirm that undertaking in today's meeting and to go beyond that. We had two sets of meetings. The minister arranged for everyone else other than George Street to come one-thirty and we spoke to them and then of course we had the meeting with George Street and its affiliates at three-thirty. We agreed with both sides that there is a need for a face to face dialogue and all parties meeting with government-of course with the state acting as facilitator and that will take place on Sunday. The idea is to try and forge some kind of a truce and that was made clear to both sides-both sides expressed that willingness to talk about exactly that objective. Whether we will actually be successful coming out of that meeting on Sunday is another matter, but given where we are, it is certainly worth the effort and I certainly am absolutely committed to investing my time in the process to try and achieve the outcome that we all desire."

Taylor's Alley Gang Leader, Arthur Young, killed in police custody

Arthur Young

There are still lingering questions over the killing of Arthur Young, who police believe murdered the other gang leader, Pinky Tillett on Friday night. Young evaded the long arms of the law for many years and more recently, he was attached to the Conscious Youth Development Programme. Young also surfaced as the leader of the Taylor's Alley affiliates in the recent stand-off with the Gang Suppression Unit. Immediately, after Tillett was killed on Friday night, there was word that Young had pulled the trigger. Then on Saturday, it was reported that Young was to hand himself over to the police. That did not happen and by this morning, he was dead. But there are more questions than answers. News Five's Andrea Polanco also has that story.

Andrea Polanco, Reporting

Arthur Young, the leader of Taylor's Alley Gang was allegedly shot and killed in the pan of a police truck around mid-night on Sunday. According to police, Young resisted arrested and a scuffle ensued, whereby Young was fatally shot by a police officer. Young was wanted in connection with the murders of thirty-one year old Shelton "Pinky" August, leader of George Street Gang and twenty-three year old Kamille Andrews. According to police, they received information that Young was hiding in this abandoned house in Vista Del Mar:

Fitzroy Yearwood

Insp. Fitzroy Yearwood, Police Press Officer

"We were looking for a suspect in connection with that double murder and it was confirmed that last night around 11:15, police received information of the suspect, one Arthur Young, the known leader of the Taylor's Alley Gang, was hiding in a house in Vista Del Mar. the house appeared to be abandoned. Police entered the house; found Mister Young in one of the rooms. He made an attempt to escape. He was apprehended and whilst he was being escorted to the Eastern Division Station on Queen Street, on his way there, he made another attempt this time to disarm a police officer that was in the back of the pickup with him-the pan of the pickup. A struggle ensued, the firearm went off and Mister Young was fatally injured."

The gas station where Tillett & Andrews were killed is fitted with surveillance cameras, and while police say they are using the images to help them serve the double murder, was Young positively identified in those images?

Insp. Fitzroy Yearwood

"We have viewed a surveillance video. The content of it I will not disclose at this time, but yes we have viewed it."

But if Young was shot accidentally, the acting Commissioner was careful in offering no details of the accident:

David Henderson

David Henderson, Acting Commissioner of Police

"I must make it quite clear that matter is presently under investigation. I believe the police had sent out the details that is necessary and as soon as the investigation is concluded or any further details you will be fully briefed."

Jules Vasquez, 7 News

"You understand that the concerns of many persons I've spoken to this morning are somewhat skeptical and they feel intuitively and this is an opinion that it may be a state sponsored execution. How would you respond to a criticism such as that?"

David Henderson

"I will not speculate, I will not jump to any conclusion. The matter is under investigation. As soon as it is through, we will know the true facts and you will get whatever detail you need to get."

Jules Vasquez

"However sir, are you able to at least say if he was shot more than once or one time?"

David Henderson

"I have already made it quite clear that the matter is under investigation."

Young has a long history of run-ins with the law, dating back to early 2000. Over the last ten years he was in and out of the courts on a number of charges from murder to the possession of unlicensed firearm. He was one of two men charged with the August 2002 shooting death of Jose Chavarria on West Canal. After he was fingered in that murder, Young fled Belize for the U.S. that same year. He was deported back to Belize in October 2006; was remanded for a brief period, released and subsequently went into hiding. He was later acquitted of the murder on a nolle pros motion. A year later he was also named in the stabbing murder of Calvin Young in November of 2007; however, the case was thrown out in January 2010 after the key witness reportedly suffering temporary amnesia. But years later, Young would categorically state that kept away from ill-reputed groups:

Via Phone: Arthur Young, In Hiding [File: April 8th, 2010]

"I changed my last name at that time because people might hear my name and get kinda nervous and I don't like to go around saying my name because I don't really do things in public you know. I try my best to stay far away from these and other groups of peoples. I'm not active in the streets of giving no young boys nothing in no kind of way. When I talk to the youths it's gotta be positive. People know me in society, but the ones that don't know me think that I'm into just evilness and that's because they don't know my whereabouts. I chose to live privately and secret just so I don't get harassment. But every time the police force or whoever is behind this trying to bad mind me, I don't know if it's something personal which I never sent any threat to the police like that."

In April of 2010, Young was named as a person of interest after police had raided a house in Vista Del Mar where they found drugs and a lathe machine with a sound suppressor or silencer for weapons. An associate of Young, Errol Haynes, was found in the home. Whilst, Young wasn't present at the time of the search, documents belonging to him were discovered and he was wanted in connection with that incident. Whilst in hiding, Young had called News Five to say that he believed police wanted him dead:

Via Phone: Arthur Young, In Hiding [File: April 8th, 2010]

"I really fear for my life because they out to try and kill me. I even heard that couple weeks they had a meeting about me saying that wherever they find me, whatever, I know they got the job to do but they reach the point they are harassing me now. I really don't know where to turn to because nobody is on my side. And the way I move, I don't really go and tell this one and tell that one. But you know today I just sit down and say this is one of the best reason I need to bring it to the public also. For the truth, I didn't do anything wrong for them to try give me a charge I didn't know about."

Jose Sanchez

"At this point they say you are a person of interest because you rented the house. Does that bring any comfort to you?"

Via Phone: Arthur Young

"Well what I heard is that my name is on the charge sheet. If I'm a person of interest because I'm renting the house then my name should not be on the charge sheet. They went to the house and I heard that they found my old driver's license and my social card. So I'm saying maybe they are trying to put me there now because I heard couple weeks ago that whatever they can hold against me to send me to jail, do that. I don't know why these people are dealing with me like this."

Jose Sanchez

"So you don't know anything about the equipment used to make silencer for handguns or books on gun use and tactics?"

Via Phone: Arthur Young

"I don't know nothing about that. I don't know what they took out of the house. All I heard is that they went there and took Errol Haynes. I don't know the details of nothing. I'm not even there at the time when I heard that. I was somewhere far away from there."

Jose Sanchez

"At this point you don't intend to go to the police?"

Via Phone: Arthur Young

"I'm not, I'm in hiding because I fear my life with the police. So I'm in hiding, I already spoke to my attorney and got I some advice."

However, Young went into hiding. In May of that year he was caught at the Chetumal Airport after he attempted to board a flight enroute to Mexico City with a fake passport. He later walked free from those charges. Reporting for News Five, I'm Andrea Polanco.

While police report that Young was being harbored at a house in the Vista Del Mar area, which is owned by Robert Mariano, News Five today received a call from Mariano who says he has nothing to do with it. According to Mariano, he moved out months ago and now lives in the US.

Southside Gang Associate murdered on Caesar Ridge

On Friday night, Shelton "Pinky" Tillett was gunned down. Retaliation was highly anticipated and while it is not confirmed if it is related, on Saturday afternoon, another gang affiliate was killed. Peter Flowers Junior who is associated with the South Side Gang, the SSG, was gunned down in the most vicious way. Flowers was a marked man, the gunmen drove up in a car and blasted him as he headed to work at the Port. News Five's Delahnie Bain has this story.

Delahnie Bain, Reporting

A crowd of spectators gathered on Caesar Ridge Road at around four o’clock on Saturday afternoon after gunshots rang out in the area. It was a gruesome scene as twenty-six year old Peter Flowers Junior laid dead on the sidewalk in a pool of blood. He had been shot twenty-one times, including five to the head, two on the neck and three in the center of his chest. And while the crowd was largely made up of onlookers, Flowers' family members soon arrived, overwhelmed with emotion and devastation at the heinous killing. The area was cordoned off and the crowd was kept at bay as police arrived to process the scene. Police say Flowers tried to escape the gunmen, but he could not outrun the car or the hail of bullets.

Fitzroy Yearwood

Inspector Fitzroy Yearwood, Police Press Officer

"From the information we received out there, he was on his way to work; he was a Stevedore and upon approaching the Port of Belize main entrance a Toyota Camry came around the lane off the boulevard and opened fire on him. he ran and tried to escape from them but they ended up catching up with him and he received several shots to head and upper body region and to the legs. He died on the spot."

Throughout the weekend, there was increase police presence on the streets, but it did not deter the wave of bloodshed that was anticipated since the gang warfare started on Friday. Police are still investigating, but it is known that Flowers was affiliated with the South Side Gang, known as the SSG. Someone clearly wanted Flowers dead and he had no chance of surviving the brutal attack. Delahnie Bain for News Five.

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