Amandala journalist, 27-year-old Kareem Jabbor Clarke was murdered on Monday, July 6th at around 1AM at the corner of Vernon and Lakeview Streets in Belize City. Clarke suffered five gunshot wounds, which resulted in his immediate death. While police still have no suspects, the incident has left family and media colleagues grieving throughout the country.
According to initial reports, Clarke was travelling on bicycle in the area when he was approached by a gun man that opened fire at him. Clark received injuries to the left side of the forehead, back of the head, abdomen, right upper back and middle of the back. Ironically, the heinous murder took place about a 100 meters away from a police check point which was implemented to reduce violence in the area.
Police have indicated that Clarke was visiting a friend in the area, but still do not know if he was the designated target of the attack. “We do not know the motive. We are doing our investigations and are yet to determine the cause of the attack. All we know is that he was returning from visiting a friend in the area and was shot while on his way home,” said Officer in Charge of the Belize City Crime Investigation Branch, Superintendent Hilberto Romero. This marks the third murder in the area in less than a week. “Because of the increase in shooting in the area we started the check point. We have increased patrols in that area in attempts to calm the situation,” said Romero. Police do not believe it was a robbery attempt as all his belongings were found on his person. Eight .9mm expended shells were collected from the scene.
Clarke’s family is still shocked at the events and are trying to comprehend why he was murdered. “Kareem was my mom’s rock. He didn’t have any children, but he loved his nieces and nephews. You could have asked Kareem for anything and he would always help you out. He didn’t have problems with anyone. He wasn’t a trouble maker. He loved what he did, writing was his passion. ,” said Melanie Young, Clarke’s sister.
Clarke had been working at the Amandala Newspaper since July of 2013 and was well loved by his coworkers. “The Kremandala (Krem and Amandala) family deeply regrets the loss of our outstanding colleague, journalist and friend, Kareem Clarke. We received the shocking news early Monday morning at the start of the news week that Clarke had been murdered, and we are still in disbelief over the tragic loss of this very promising and ambitious young journalist. On a day like [today], Kareem would have been hard at work, juggling several stories for publication in the mid-week edition of the Amandala newspaper. His murder has left a vacuum that will be very hard to fill. The Kremandala Family will surely miss his invaluable contributions to our news packages. We express heartfelt condolences to all his family and friends,” stated a press release issued by Amandala.
The San Pedro Sun extends its deepest condolences to the Clake family and the Amandala.
