Honduran Killed Without Warning in Belize City

Santos Miguel Bernardes

There was more bloodshed in the city. Twenty-four hours after the murder-suicide at AAA Security, fifty-one-year-old Santos Miguel Bernardes was executed. The sanitary engineer was playing domino at his neighbor’s yard on Laura Dunn Street off Antelope Street Extension in Belize City, when a gunman would interrupt the game. One bullet hit Bernardes to the temple and the fifty-one-year-old Honduran expired immediately. Police have no suspect or motive. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.

Duane Moody, Reporting

Less than two hours after a shooting on Elston Kerr Street in Belize City, shots rang out once again in the Antelope Street Extension area. Several blocks away on Laura Dunn Street, fifty-one-year-old Honduran national, Santos Miguel Bernardes was inside this yard socializing when a gunman approached and fired several shots. Bernardes was hit twice, once to the head and died on the spot. His execution was witnessed by his niece.

Atanacia Oliva

Atanacia Oliva, Sister of Murder Victim

“My sister-in-law called me because she lives in front of the place where he was playing. We have another brother but he is not here right now. But my niece see when they shoot her uncle, or when he dropped so she run and tell her mom that they shoot her uncle. And she called me and was crying and told me what was happening with my bredda. All I hear, he was playing dominoes in a yard off Antelope Street. They say a guy just passed and did a shooting. The other people just bend down, but he looked back and the guy just shot him again so right there he drop on the table.”

Duane Moody

“How many times was he shot?”

Atanacia Oliva

“I hear it is two—one up and the next one to his face.”

The family complains that since Saturday, they have not been able to see the body of their loved one. And today, police confirm that Bernardes was only hit once to the temple and that there is little information on this latest murder in the south side of Belize City.

Joseph Myvett

ACP Joseph Myvett, Head, National Crimes Investigation Branch

“Bernardes along with others were gathered when a lone gunman rode up on a bicycle ad fired two shots, one of which caught Bernardes to the left temple. Police investigation into this matter also continues. We have no immediate suspect, but police are working on this case.”

There is neither suspect nor motive. Atanacia Oliva was at her house in Western Paradise when she was notified of Santos’ murder. She remains perplexed because as far as she knows, her brother had no enemies.

Atanacia Oliva

“He’s not a troublemaker; he is a hard working man. He always deh pan the street; he works with city council and he’s cleaning the streets. That’s all I can say.”

Duane Moody for News Five.