Dangriga Fisherman is Gunned Down inside His House

Carlos Reyes

The Dangriga community is still reeling over the murder of one of its own; Jordan Lorenzo was killed in Belize City earlier this week. But on Thursday evening, they lost another resident to gun violence. A local fisherman was executed inside his house in the town. It is not known why Carlos Reyes was targeted, but as many as eight bullets found their mark on him. A person visiting Reyes at the time of the shooting was also injured. Israel Pimentel is from the village of Sarawee and was inside Reyes’ house when the gunman rushed into the house and pulled the trigger of his firearm. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.

Duane Moody, Reporting

Just after six o’clock on Thursday evening shots rang out on Citron Street in Dangriga Town. Inside this concrete building on the bank of the river, two gunmen opened fire at the homeowner, Carlos Noe Reyes and thirty-year-old Sarawee villager, Israel Pimentel, who News Five understands was visiting with Reyes. Reports are that Reyes was shot as many as eight times to the arm, chest and back, while Pimentel was shot to the abdomen. Police say they arrived on the scene to find Reyes’ body in the kitchen.

Voice of: Justo Reyes, Brother of Deceased

“I came from work approximately twenty minutes after six. As soon as I got home, went into my house and sat down, I heard couple shots. By the time I ran outside and I saw a guy coming out with a gun, I run back to my house to try to get my gun, but when I come out, the guy wasn’t there anymore. Five minutes after that, I heard my niece bawling and so I went in to look for her and that’s when I found out that my brother was shot.”

Voice of: Armando Solis, Friend of Deceased

“I get into the scene and I saw my….he was like a father to me. I saw the body down and I couldn’t say how much shots because they don’t make I see the body with the rounds. I just see the body down. All we know is that there was a white taxi rounding the area from morning. They have the taxi already at the police station.”

As Armando Solis says, it would appear that Reyes was being monitored. But for what and by who, the family and police are not able to say at this time. Word to News Five, however, is that police are looking for two Belize City residents, who can assist with the investigation. Carlos Noe Reyes was a forty-eight-year-old fisherman, who transported persons to and from Honduras. According to his brother, Carlos was making lobster traps when he came under attack.

Voice of: Justo Reyes

“Carlos was a well known person here in Dangriga as a fisherman. We have always been fishermen because my dad was a fisherman before. We have always been self-employed and we do like tourism. We run people to Honduras. He was just starting to make some lobster traps and that’s when we heard that all this happened. Otherwise, Noe was a person that he might have his own way like everybody else, but he was a good person inside. He would take his shirt off his back to give somebody who needs it.”

Pimentel was rushed to the Southern Regional Hospital and then transported to the Western Regional where he remains in a critical condition; his liver was damaged by a bullet. Armando Solis says that the family and friends are looking for justice.

Voice of: Armando Solis

“He was like a father. Everybody have that up and down, but everybody had wah good. We believe that the police will do ih job. We are expecting that the police do ih job.”

Duane Moody for News Five.