Man’s death believed to be suicide

Suicide or murder? That’s the question police are trying to figure out as they investigate the shooting death of a Belize City man Thursday night. Twenty-three year old Peter Valerio was pronounced dead on arrival at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital shortly after nine o’clock after being shot in the head. According to officer in charge Simeon Alvarez, C.I.B. personnel were called to the house on Vernon Street where the shooting was reported and when they arrived, found Valerio in his girlfriend’s bedroom, fatally wounded. The woman in question, Keisha Martinez, told police that Valerio had shot himself.

A.I.P. Simeon Alvarez, Head, C.I.B.

“At the scene near to the body of Valerio, the police found a .38 revolver loaded with two rounds of ammunition and one expended shell. This firearm was found on the right upper part of Valerio’s chest. As the investigation continues, we are sorting out, to find out the circumstance, whether he accidentally shot himself or somebody is responsible for the shooting.

Well with an investigation with the girlfriend, Keisha Martinez, she reported that Valerio visited the home at around 9 p.m. and she told him to go home. She did not say whether they had an argument. All she told him is that to go home, the reason is still unknown. However, she further reported that when she told him that, he answered back telling her that he has nothing to live for. And it was shortly after that, whilst they were lying on the bed, the gun went off.”

Valerio sustained a single gunshot wound to the right side of his head. A postmortem examination this afternoon revealed that Valerio died as a result of multiple head injuries and brain damage. Up until late this evening, Keisha Martinez was in police custody but was released this evening.