Another security guard murdered
Another Belize City security guard has been murdered, and while the latest killing appears to have a different motive than most, it does little to change the reality of what has become the nation’s most dangerous line of work. Jacqueline Woods reports.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
Forty-year-old security officer Emilio Miller had just reported to duty around midnight at the Queen Square Market when two men shot him. As Miller lay wounded on the ground, his attackers then grabbed Miller’s machete, chopped him several times over the body before nearly decapitating him.
William Bailey
“The body mi look like his head come off, he get chop pan ih hand and ih head.”
Jacqueline Woods
“There were a lot of people around here last night?”
William Bailey
“No, it was pilinky, nobody.”
Two years ago, Miller, a former traffic officer, started working at the market. According to Max Santos, a friend and co-worker, Miller was a dedicated employee. Santos says he does not know why anyone would want to kill Miller.
Max Santos, Friend
“He was a good worker, I must indeed tell you the truth. Very serious with his job, he noh tolerate no thieving. If he see anybody take anything, it’s outside. That is our responsibility, to secure the vendors and everybody in here.”
Police do not suspect the crime is the result of a hold-up or robbery, but rather authorities believe Miller’s gruesome murder was over a personal matter. Oralia Miller says just before her husband left for work that day, he told her that he had been threatened by a man and wanted to leave the job because he no longer felt safe at the market.
Although word on the street is that Miller may have been killed by a jealous boyfriend or husband, Mrs. Miller believes her husband’s murder was an act of revenge. According to Miller, three months ago someone who tried to break into the market, attacked Miller and then threatened he would kill him. Today, the market vendors are saddened by the murder of one of their security officers and say they do not know what can be done to address the city’s crime problem.
Joel Andrews, Vendor, Queen Square Market
“Well me personally, I noh come out at night for the same reason, because it’s still treacherous all over anyway. It’s not only in the market vicinity itself, it’s over the whole Belize City on a whole.”
Miller’s killers have been described only as a Hispanic man and a dark skinned man. At this time police have no suspects. Jacqueline Woods reporting for News 5.
According to authorities, an off duty police officer who happened to be in the area when the crime was being committed, fired a shot at one of the suspects but he managed to escape unhurt.
