Earlier today: A drive by shooting at the Prime Minister's Law Firm Barrow & Williams in Albert Street. Prime Minister Dean Barrow himself was out of the country at the time of the shooting.

PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE IN BELIZE CITY HIT BY BULLETS
April 15, 2010

The Belize City office of Prime Minister Dean Barrow was hit by bullets this morning. Reports are that sometime this morning; at least two bullets hit the upper flat of the building which houses the Prime Minister’s law offices. Just before he boarded a flight to the United States to attend a fund raising event, Prime Minister Barrow spoke by telephone with Patrick Jones from our News Centre.

Prime Minister Dean Barrow

“I got no idea as to the motive behind what happened this morning. I do not know if it was a deliberate attack on the building or what message, if that is the case, the people were trying to send; whether it was just somebody playing the fool. The police are investigating and it is difficult to talk about any possible motives because thing are so unclear right now.”

Patrick Jones, Reporter

As you leave, you leave a situation where things are tense in the streets of Belize City.

Prime Minister Dean Barrow

“As they have been for a while in a matter of every time there is a little bit of a break through we seem to regress again very shortly thereafter. I will continue to press the police to do their very best. I will continue to have all stakeholders look at different approaches that we might try. I will continue especially with the social interventions so the essential two track approach where police are expected to step up their interdiction efforts; their enforcement efforts. While at the same time government provides them resources and seeks to have the sorts of socials programs chartered and expanded that can attack the underlying causes having to do with poverty and marginalization. That remains the strategy. Clearly, it is in my view the only strategy that can be maintained, it is just a matter of going at it harder and harder and finding the additional resources and attempting to make progress. If at least incremental to deal with what is obviously an overwhelming continuing problem.”

No one was injured in this morning’s incident. Reports to our News Centre are that the building was hit by bullets from a shoot-out involving two men. But we have been unable to get confirmation on this from the police press office.

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