35-year-old Elroy Quinonez gunned down in Dangriga

A resident of the culture capital, Dangriga Town, was gunned down last night in front of his children. Just after seven o’clock, shots rang out in the Backa Town area; moments later when the silence set in, 35-year-old Elroy Quinonez was found lying motionless on the pavement. Reporter Vejea Alvarez tells us more.

Vejea Alvarez, Love News:  Police in the south have detained four men they believe orchestrated the murder of a father of four last night in Dangriga Town. Just after seven o’clock, 35-year-old Elroy Quinonez was targeted by a lone gunman as he sat at the corner of Zericote and Banak Street with his two sons. The fisherman was shot as many as six times to his head, hand, and abdomen before falling to the pavement where he succumbed. His assailant then made good his escape leaving behind a number of expended shells and a motorcycle helmet. 

Rudolph Green, Cousin: “Last night the man was standing right here on this lane. Right after that the gunman approached my family according what I gathered, approached my family drove into him with a motorbike and then started shooting him. I haven’t gathered the spirit, the heart to go to the morgue as yet to see him but what I understood my cousin told me that one of was stuck in his temple and the other one came from behind and came out through his cheek.”

Vejea Alvarez, Love News: Quinonez’s cousin, Rudolph Green, says he had just left the area and shortly after received the heart-wrenching news that his loved one was killed in front of his two youngest children. 

Rudolph Green, Cousin: “My son called me all the way from Independence Village and told me that my cousin just got shot. I told him that it’s impossible you understand because my cousin doesn’t have any problems with anybody. The amount of people that hate this man is just because of this man’s success. This man doesn’t trouble anybody. I won’t tell you the man is a good guy you know ? We grew up solid. We know how to take care of ourselves, know how to defend ourselves but at the end of the day the man doesn’t problem anybody.”

Vejea Alvarez, Love News: Quinonez grew up in the area and was a father of four but Green says he also served as a father figure to many young people in the area. He described the Stann Creek man as a loving father and a humble man. 

Rudolph Green, Cousin: “This man gave a lot of people things, this man took care of so many kids through this block, a lot of kids don’t have books, don’t have a little dollar or two to take to school this man has a pillow case full of coins and shillings for kids when they pass through this block that is what he gives them when they’re short of books, or short of something to eat he doesn’t give them the money he buys the food and gives their mom and have their moms feed them. This is the type of person this man is. This man loves pets, this man loves his animals, this man loves his son Dobbs because Dobbs is like this man’s two five everywhere you see him you see Dobbs.”

Vejea Alvarez, Love News: Green added that Quinonez was not affiliated with any gangs and was not known to have any enemies. Vejea Alvarez, Love News.

Police Commissioner Chester Williams informed our newsroom earlier today that the investigators are already aware who the shooter was in last night’s murder.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police: Yes last night again police received information of shots fired in the Back a Town area of Dangriga Town and upon arrival they saw the lifeless body of a male person. He was taken to the hospital in Dangriga where he was pronounced dead moments later. We are currently conducting the investigation into that matter. We believe it is drug related. Currently we have a team of investigators in Dangriga putting the pieces together and we have identified who the two shooters are and those persons are currently being sought so we believe that by this evening or tomorrow morning we should be able to have that pretty wrapped up.”

Quinonez received gunshot injuries to the forehead, the nose bridge, his lower lip, the right temple and his abdomen. He was pronounced dead just after eight o’clock last night.