A B.D.F. Staff Sergeant is Shot Near Valentin Camp in the Chiquibul Forest

In early March, there was an armed encounter between Belize Defense Force soldiers on foot patrol in the Chiquibul National Park and Guatemalan poachers. At the time, one of the illegal hunters was shot in the leg, in an area known as Cebada, where illegal activities are known to abound. Over the weekend, news quickly spread that a B.D.F. soldier had been shot in the hand and abdomen. Belize Defense Force Staff Sergeant Richard Lambey was reportedly shot near a water stream in the area of the Valentin Camp. From what we are told, the shooting took place within the Caracol, not far from where tourism police officer Danny Conorquie was shot and killed in September 2014. During this most recent confrontation there was an exchange of gunfire with the Guatemalan who is believed to be from the La Rejoya, a Guatemalan community whose residents frequently enter Belize illegally. Lambey was shot as many as four times, three times in the hand and once to the abdomen and as many as twenty-six expended shells were found in the area.  For perspective, the shooting took place within the Adjacency Zone.  That area is managed by the Organization of American States and as such the O.A.S. has been called upon to verify the location where the incident is said to have happened. Lambey was transferred to the K.H.M.H. where he remains hospitalized in a stable condition.   News Five has since been informed that the soldiers who were on patrol of the area have been asked to submit a full report on what transpired in order for the Ministry of National Security to take the necessary measures. The official details are few and no one from the Ministry of National Security would offer further information.