Shooting, arrests, mark weekend crime
Three people caught in the act of robbing a Dangriga business establishment over the weekend appeared in Magistrate’s court this afternoon. Twenty-year-old Ryan Valerio, twenty-two year old Gary White and thirty-one year old Luis Castillo were arrested on Saturday evening after a shootout and chase by police. According to press officer G. Michael Reid, officers responded to reports of a robbery in progress at Hollywood Fashion Store on St. Vincent Street. When the cops showed up, they observed three men fleeing the area, but not before firing off a few shots at the lawmen. None of the bullets found their mark and the robbers got into a car nearby and sped off down the Southern Highway with the police in hot pursuit. The high-speed chase came to a crashing end in Silk Grass village after police shot out one of the tires of the Oldsmobile, causing the driver to lose control and run into a ditch. With their vehicle disabled, the robbers tried to outrun the cops on foot, but the authorities were able to out sprint the suspects and apprehend them. A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of one .38 revolver along with a quantity of cash believed to be proceeds of the robbery. White, of a Kraal Road address in Belize City, Castillo, who gave his place of abode as Central American Boulevard, and Valerio who resides on Mangrove Street in Dangriga, are jointly charged for the crimes of robbery and aggravated assault.
Two men from Santa Elena town in the Cayo District are hospitalized in critical condition after they were shot early Sunday morning. Police say twenty four year old Victor Olivera and nineteen-year-old Kevin Diaz were walking on Orange Street around two thirty on Sunday morning when they were approached by another man. It’s not certain if there was an argument, but police say the third man opened fire on Diaz and Olivera with what cops say was a short firearm. Diaz was hit in the left side of his chest, while Olivera received gunshot wounds to the chest, legs and right hand. Both victims were taken to the Western Regional Hospital where, Diaz at last report this evening was in stable condition, while Olivera remains critical. Police have detained one person pending further investigations, and sources tell News 5 that Diaz has identified the detainee by name to police. That person is expected to be charged with attempted murder on Tuesday.
Another early morning shooting incident, this time on Saturday, sent a police recruit to the KHMH with injuries that could cost him the use of an arm. According to police reports, twenty-three year old Jose Nunez was socializing at the MJ Grand Nightclub on Newtown Barracks around twelve thirty on Saturday morning, when he got into an altercation with thirty one year old Reynaldo Verde. Sometime during the dispute, Verde pulled out his licensed 9-millimetre pistol and fired a single shot, hitting Nunez in his left arm. Police have arrested and charged Verde for the crimes of attempted murder, grievous harm, use of deadly means of harm, aggravated assault and discharging a firearm in public. It must be noted that police recruit Nunez, who is set to graduate in January, was not on any official duty.
A traffic accident in Orange Walk Town on Saturday morning has claimed the life of one person. Orange Walk police say that around two o’clock on Saturday morning, forty-one year old Bernabel Triminio was driving his Isuzu pickup truck along Guadalupe Street in the town, when he collided into the rear of a parked tractor-trailer loaded with cement blocks. Triminio suffered severe head injuries and was first taken to the Northern Regional Hospital and later to the KHMH where he died eight hours later. Police are investigating.
A thief in Esperanza village learned the hard way on Friday that community spirit is still united against crime. Shortly before noon, twenty-one year old Gabriel Cunil walked into Olga Reyes’ shop and ordered a cigarette. But when Reyes turned to fill the order, Cunil jumped over the counter and held a knife to the businesswoman’s neck and demanded money. But she would have none of it, and Reyes yelled for help at which time the robber grabbed a cash pan containing about twelve hundred dollars in cash and telephone cards and made a run for it. But he did not make it very far, as neighbours, responding to Reyes’ call for help, chased Cunil down and apprehended him until San Ignacio police arrived. Cunil was charged with robbery and is expected to appear in San Ignacio Magistrate’s court on Tuesday. Police say most of the money taken in the robbery has been recovered. A release from the Police Department applauds the bravery of the residents of Esperanza who pitched in to secure law and order in their village.
