Fish Vendor Murdered in Belmopan!
Reginaldo Ruiz
What started out as a usual day of business at the Belmopan Market Plaza culminated in a murder in front of hundreds of shoppers and vendors right before the noon hour. News Five’s Andrea Polanco reports.
Andrea Polanco, Reporting
A killer brazenly walked onto the market grounds and fired multiple shots killing Reginaldo Ruiz and injuring Kelvin Tillett. Ruiz was a fish vendor and was at his stall when his life was cut short. Ruiz’s employee, who wished to appear off camera, says a bullet narrowly missed him.
Voice of: Fish Vendor, Belmopan Market Plaza
“Today was one of the horrible days I have ever experienced in my life because while we the proceed with business – people, kids, everybody around – some assailant come around and shoot my boss from back on. I tried to save my life. I feel the first bullet when it missed me and the next person bawl from behind me so I was lucky. I watched my boss man the bleed with thousands of people and nobody come around. I had to be the one to pick up his head and cover his wound so that he bleeds less. I nuh know what mi wah happen with this gunman but the point is I mi the walk go do my business and from behind way he come and I felt the bullet. I felt the bullet. Up to now I still the tremble and I nuh know what happened because dah nuh me get the shot.”
Ruiz was shot in the neck and Tillet was shot in the arm. The employee says that he isn’t sure why Ruiz was killed. They have been selling at the Belmopan Market Plaza since it opened last year but today is their first Tuesday conducting business there – as they would normally sell on Fridays. Rodney Nunez is also a fish vendor at the market. He says that while heard the shots ring out he didn’t see what happened but he spotted a man believed to be the killer running away from the scene.
Rodney Nunez
Rodney Nunez, Fish Vendor, Belmopan Market Plaza
“I hear the shots deh. I hear bam bam bam. He get shot and mi home bwai get shot on the other side. Check it out – we deh yah the sell the grunt fi the front and the jack fi the back and the barrow fi the arrow but dah when the barrow come that’s when I heard the pow pow pow – a lady the come buy barrow. We come out today this morning and this tragedy happen right ya. He dah wah partner of mine and it get to me that they tek the man life in front of a lot of people. I nuh see much because I the take care of my business over yah and I nuh see much but when the young man run after he shoot the man he run over the drain and gone by social security and take off.”
Nunez says that police response to the deadly shooting was delayed – although the Belmopan Police Headquarters is just a stone’s throw away across the street.
Rodney Nunez
“Belmopan nuh safe because I the police station deh right deh and they take whole ah half an hour to get yah. We are supposed to have security here and I feel like what they need to do is to fence up the place because when our back is turned we nuh know what could happen. Safety is the most important thing.”
Reporting for News Five, I’m Andrea Polanco.
