John Borland Speaks on Shooting

The near fatal shooting of Petty Officer Daniel Arzu Junior has shocked the Belize National Coast Guard, as well as the Belize Police Department where his father is an experienced officer.  The unexplained attempt on Arzu’s life has left him in an unconscious state at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital.  There at his bedside is Rear Admiral John Borland.  As commander of the coastal service, Borland is giving the family, as well as the critically wounded sailor, all the support they need to make it through this difficult ordeal. 

John Borland, Commander, BNCG

“I was at the hospital up to eleven o’clock last night.  You know, he remains in a critical condition.  If I hadn’t been at this workshop since morning I would have had the eight o’clock report from the doctors, but my medic and the B.D.F. doctor is there helping us and supporting us to make the right assessment as to what we do next.  As you know, the condition that he is in, he can’t be moved around, he has to be like that for a period of time until the doctors can say we can continue with the process of helping him to recovery.”

Isani Cayetano

“Can you share with us any information about this individual in terms of his professional life as a coastguard?”

John Borland

John Borland

“Yes.  He’s one of the best persons I’ve worked with.  He’s young but he’s a petty officer, he’s not just a regular sailor.  So in his line of duties he performs as a boarding officer when he’s on operations at sea.  He’s a complete professional, you know, he’s respectful, he’s humble and he’s ambitious and he’s trying to make something of himself.”

Isani Cayetano

“Have you had an opportunity to speak with his family, seeing as though you were at the hospital yesterday?  What are they saying in terms of either what transpired at the residence or how are they holding up?”

John Borland

“Well the family is strong, so is the sailor himself, you know.  What he has working for him [is that] he’s young, he’s physically fit and he’s physically strong.  But so is his family.  You know his dad is a senior police officer so he has seen more of this than probably you or I have had the opportunity to.  They are strong, they are holding up, you know.  They trust us and we trust them and we’ll work together on this, you know, and helping him to restore his health and get back to full physical capability, keeping our fingers crossed and praying for the best.  They don’t know much [more] than we do, than anyone does at the moment, of what transpired at the scene.  The police are working, I know, on it.  They have some leads [but] they haven’t been able to divulge those.  That information, because of the early stages of investigation, but they’re on it and they seem to have some credible leads.”