Man murdered in La Isla Bonita…

But while those in the cane industry had full day and regrettably one person lost his life and others injured, in La Isla Bonita a series of events last Friday bore their own weight of strange twists. Marion Ali was out on Ambergris Caye today and has this report.

Marion Ali, Reporting
Details of Friday’s night’s San Pedro murder are still sketchy and police are still investigating different versions of the string of incidents.

What is certain however is that twenty-eight year old John Paul Saldivar, a tour guide who worked at Patajos in San Pedro Town, is dead, the victim of three gunshot wounds.

Saldivar’s family and work colleagues did not wish to speak to News Five, but we gathered that he was with at least one other person at an abandoned house around three o’clock last Friday afternoon at Rocky Point, which is located several miles away from the Town. We were not allowed to get close to the house but Investigating Officer, John Sanchez, told us what police discovered when they arrived last Friday evening.

Sgt. John Sanchez, Investigating Officer
“Police observed the lifeless body of a male Hispanic person lying face-up on the shoreline half nude with what appeared to be gunshot wounds to the head, left upper leg and right lower leg. He also had numerous bruises over his body.”

Someone close to the area told us off-camera that he saw a white boat with dark stripes approach the area from the direction of San Pedro Town. The five men who occupied the boat moored the vessel, got out and went towards the house. The person said he heard five gunshots and after about half an hour, the five boarded the boat and went back en route to San Pedro.

Sergeant Sanchez says police believe the motive of the killing was drug-related.

Sgt. John Sanchez
“About a month or so ago if you can recall, I should say that about twenty-five kilos of cocaine were handed over by a private citizen to the San Pedro Police and as a result this drugs was dealt with, was secured. And we believe that more of these drugs have washed ashore up in that area and there have been a lot of persons visiting that area or walking the beach who are locally referred to as playadors, looking for these substances which they would usually call wet drop and usually this would cause a dispute.”

But a crossfire also happened between police and the alleged murderers. And as cops found out, another part of the story was about to unravel that would involve them. Police were reportedly in their boat leaving San Pedro en route to the scene of the murder when as they reached the Boca del Rio area they encountered a boat matching the description of the one which had stopped at the house. But when police tried to intercept the vessel, it only had two occupants onboard, one of whom reportedly pulled a weapon at officers. Police then fired at this person, who jumped overboard and swam away. But when officers checked the suspect vessel they discovered that Eric Swan had been shot in the right leg and buttocks. Inside the boat police found ammunition and a sea worthiness certificate belonging to Swan.

But there would be another issue to investigate. Early Saturday morning another man, whom police say did not give his correct name, reported to them that some men in a white boat had robbed him of his boat engines on Friday evening and left him to drift away. He managed to find his way ashore later that night.

Marion Ali
“While are still trying to decipher what occurred at Rocky Point on Friday night when we arrived at the area, some sixteen miles north of San Pedro Town, police and Coast Guard personnel were conducting patrols. Meanwhile police had detained four persons in connection with the incident.”

The Police Internal Affairs Unit is currently investigating whether or not Eric Swan, who was found with gunshot wounds inside the suspect vessel near Boca del Rio, was indeed injured by officers who fired at the vessel when Swan’s friend reportedly pulled a weapon at police.