B.D.F. soldier dead in shooting accident

A soldier, by the nature of his profession, is always prepared to die… but when death comes by accident and by his own hand that event is doubly tragic. Today the Belize Defence Force confirmed that Private Erasimo Bol died early Sunday morning at Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. At around one a.m. on Friday he was on guard duty at Airport Camp in Ladyville when his M-16 rifle accidentally discharged, hitting him in the abdomen. He received an emergency operation that morning but succumbed to his injuries two days later. According to a B.D.F. spokesman, Bol, who had been with the force for eight years, had been practicing various rifle drills while on guard duty. But he apparently made two mistakes. The first was disengaging the safety catch on his weapon and the second was having a live round in the chamber. Although there was initial speculation that Bol may have deliberately taken his own life, B.D.F. Colonel Hugh Cain has told us that after his operation Bol was conscious and said clearly that the shooting was accidental. He will be buried with full military honors on Friday morning in the village of San Jose, Toledo.