Shootout at Belizean Beach leaves one serious

An early morning shootout just outside Belize City has left one man in serious condition and his attacker on the loose. News 5 understands that a man, identified only as Joel Waight, was meeting another man at the area known as Belizean Beach at about 5:00 this morning. Apparently the meeting went sour and a shootout ensued. Waight was shot in his back and has been admitted to the K.H.M.H. in a serious condition as the bullet has become lodged in his spine. While the name of the suspected shooter is not being released, it is believed he is no stranger to police and has several priors for gun and drug charges. This incident has become subject to intense scrutiny because the gunman got away in a white Cherokee, the same type of vehicle Belmopan police are looking for following the disappearance of Mark Ireland.