Police Say Budna’s Murder was a Random Attack

Desmond Budna

Desmond Budna, a resident of San Pedro, was shot and killed in Belize City on Friday morning. The construction worker was in the Lake Independence area when he was gunned down on Amandala Drive. According to police, Budna was in town for a graduation. But, the twenty-seven-year-old would not make it back to the island alive. As he made his way on foot along that street, Budna was ambushed by a gunman who opened fire on him. Assistant Superintendent Fitzroy Yearwood shares additional details.

ASP Fitzroy Yearwood, Communications Director, B.P.D.

“Initial investigation revealed that Budna was walking on Amandala Extension when he was approached by a gunman who fired several shots, hitting its target.  Budna was transported to the KHMH where he succumbed to his injuries minutes later. Police are investigating that matter.”

Reporter

“Sir, I don‘t want to dispute your facts but the gentleman was unfortunately on the ground for at least an hour and a half, maybe two hours because the police were…”

Fitzroy Yearwood

Fitzroy Yearwood

“Whether or not you were on the ground for five hours, we the police cannot pronounce you clinically dead.  You can only be pronounced dead by a medical officer.  So if you are transported one hour, two hours later, three hours later, only a medical officer can certify your death.”

Reporter

“So, more importantly, we’ve spoken to the family and they are convinced that this gentleman was collateral damage, that he wasn’t associated or linked to any sort of crime or gang underworld activities. They say that he’s a hardworking man from San Pedro who came to Belize City. What are investigators able to determine so far since Friday?”

Fitzroy Yearwood

“I know that investigators also confirmed what the family is saying, that his name has never shown up on the police radar for any kind of gang or criminal involvement.  So that makes it a little more difficult for us to investigate.  One, we are trying to establish motive and obviously this would want to seem like a random act of murder.”