Two Men Beaten and Shot Following Fight at Nightclub

Pedro Molina

Two men are lucky to be alive after they were shot and one of them repeatedly struck in the face. The incident happened in the wee hours of Saturday, just after they had left a night spot and arrived at one of their homes on Mahogany Street in Orange Walk town. It followed an altercation between one of the victims and one of the two attackers who confronted them that early morning. The fight started in front of the establishment and ended a few streets away at one of the victims’ home where he and his friend went to socialize after the altercation. Unbeknown to them, two men lurked near the yard and pounced on them, opening fire and using rocks and metal pipes. News Five’s Marion Ali went to Orange Walk Town today and filed this report.

Marion Ali, Reporting

Forty-one-year-old Pedro Molina left the Orange Walk Police Station a badly bruised man about his head and face and with two casts on his arms after he suffered a gunshot wound to the left elbow and a beat-down at the hands of two men shortly before two on Saturday morning. Molina’s attackers  apparently followed him and a friend to his house where they were ambushed.

A.C.P Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander, Eastern Division

A.C.P Hilberto Romero

“On Saturday, 13th of May, 2023, around 2 a. m., Orange Walk Police responded to a shooting at Mahogany Street in Orange Walk. Upon their arrival they found Pedro Molina with a cut wound to the forehead and Luis Ucan, 48 years with a gunshot injury. The investigation is that they were at a house when two male persons came in, one armed with a firearm who shot Ucan, and the other one proceeded to hit Molina on the forehead with a metal pipe.”

The Police Department’s Eastern Division Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Hilberto Romero, told reporters that police have identified two suspects who they are now seeking in connection with the incident.

While he declined an interview today, reports are that Molina and one of the attackers got embroiled in a fight in front of a popular nightclub located just a few minutes away from his house. It is believed that the fight led to the attack on him and his friend, Luis Ucan shortly thereafter. Ucan is listed in stable condition. Molina is an employee of the Orange Walk Town Council and his boss, Orange Walk Mayor Ladrick Sheppard, told News Five that Molina is one of the council’s best employees.

Ladrick Sheppard

Ladrick Sheppard, Mayor, Orange Walk Town

“He came around and he started off sweeping the streets, and little did we know that he was skillful, you know, and he worked his way to the top. Mr. Molina has been one of our best employees -moved all the way from sweeping streets to (collecting) garbage. I know he’s one of our best drivers, and he’s also one of the drivers that drives the garbage truck every Monday morning – so you can see how hurtful I felt when I heard of the incident, and I know that he won’t be in because now we have to be shuffling, trying to find another driver to replace him. So that’s the same garbage that the residents of Orange Walk used to be picked up, has to be done immediately.”

Mayor Sheppard said he hopes what happened over the weekend ends there and that Molina can return to work shortly.

Ladrick Sheppard

“I’m so happy that he’s alive, and he’s going to be – he’s going to get through with some of these things that happened to him, and hopefully he comes back to work. As mayor again, I pray and ask the residents as well to let’s be keep peace in Orange Walk. We are one of the most peaceful and nicest towns. Everybody wants to come to Orange Rock to have fun and relax themselves, so again, I hope this doesn’t give a black eye overall. He is missed. Remember he drives one of the garbage compactor trucks that goes around picking up garbage on that truck. There are about three other employees that looks forward to see him. And again, the driver plays a vital role because he goes around talking to the workers, make sure they do their job. So he’s also one of the supervisors in charge of his crew.”

Marion Ali reporting for  News Five.