Boy shoots himself because of parents’ fight

It’s a scene that has played out in every Belizean household: parents fighting in front of their children. But on Wednesday afternoon, one such domestic dispute in the Toledo District had deadly consequences. According to police reports, the Choc family was at their home in San Marcos Village when Mr. and Mrs. Choc began to argue about whether they should go to the Community Centre for lunch. As the disagreement deteriorated into a heated argument, tonight it appears the fight was too much for twelve year old Constantine Choc. The boy picked up his father’s short barrelled sixteen gauge shotgun–the same weapon the father and son had used on countless hunting trips together–and in front of his two sisters and eight-year-old brother, put the gun to his head and squeezed the trigger. Constantine was rushed to the Punta Gorda hospital some fourteen miles away by the village Alcalde, but was pronounced dead on arrival. Tonight the boy’s body lies in the town morgue. A post-mortem examination has been scheduled for Friday. News Five understands that as part of their investigations, authorities will determine if charges will be levied against Constantine’s parents in connection with his death.