Shopkeeper douses robber with muriatic acid and survives shooting
There was sustained violence in the City on Wednesday night. Two men were murder, but we lead tonight’s newscast with a robbery that turned ugly for the robbers. It happened at a store on Antelope Street Extension. The owners were attacked but they fought back. The woman used muriatic acid to defend herself, but she was shot. The bullet is still lodged in her back. News Five Jose Sanchez reports on this story of the brave woman.
Jose Sanchez, Reporting
Martinez Shop on Antelope Street Extension was robbed at gunpoint on Wednesday night. Noe Martinez and Myra Lopez were inside when they were accosted by three masked men.
Myra Lopez, Robbery/Shooting Victim
myra lopez
“I watch him, I si dat he, di man get right deh and push ih foot in di shop.”
Jose Sanchez
“So he forced his way in the shop?”
Myra Lopez
“Mhmm, di man. Den he put ah pan di floor and di gun pan ih head.”
Jose Sanchez
“Who’s head?”
Myra Lopez
“Di man, di thief man put di gun pan ih head when ih put ah on di floor. Den mi noh know weh I do. Den di man touch me pan mi head and drop me pan my side.”
What Myra did next was on instinct. After being flung to the ground, she then reached out for the closest item on the shelf, a bottle of highly acidic muriatic acid. She popped the cover open and sprayed it in the face of one attacker.
Myra Lopez
“I sell acid and everything. So di acid, cause he put it right yah and I noh know I think bout it but I open di thing and dash out dat. Den di man look bad, bad den he seh done.”
Jose Sanchez
“So you sprayed the muriatic acid on his face?”
Myra Lopez
“Yeah, I think so yeah. Then he said di next man mi have di gun and he seh done. Den dehn left ah gone, left mi husband and two ah dehn gone. Den di one wid di gun come back again fi shot me but me noh know weh pah he gone.”
Jose Sanchez
“So after they robbed the shop they shot you.”
Myra Lopez
“Afta dehn finish everything dehn come back fi shot me.”
The nine millimeter shell cut through her arm like knife to paper and it did not slow down when it ripped through her rib cage, and somehow missed all vital organs. The shell is now lodged like a small bump behind the skin on her back.
Jose Sanchez
“Half of your shop is also home. Your kids were here, were they in danger? Where were your kids?”
Myra Lopez
“Dah three ah dehn mi deh back deh di watch TV dat’s why me noh know but my daughter seh she si weh di man do ih pah. Den di next one tell ah les go, les go; he gwein dah kitchen because I noh want di small one si dat lot ah blood een deh. But I noh know because I stand up right deh because lot ah blood coming and den I walk and somebody come ker me dah hospital.”
Shot but not shattered, less than twenty-four hours later, Myra was back on the job, selling to her neighbors. Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.
The men stole two hundred and sixty dollars from a plastic container on one of the shelves.
Belize needs more brave citizens like this — preferably armed with something deadlier than acid.
Either we kill those who prey on us, or we go like lambs to the slaughter.
I hope a band of citizens can find this attempted killer before the police do, and give him the punishment he needs.
Myra, i am happy that you and your kids escaped with your life, and even though everyone in Belize is fed up with the violence, one should think of her family first. it was possible that the robbers would have left the shop and your family unharmed after they took the money.
best wishes and i wish you well.
Bravo Myra! Should be easy to identify the robber with acid marks…cant understand how these good-for-nothing a***oles attack the poor hard working people instead of finding a job….
I woulda wa ketch one a deh….
Good Myra! That’s one for law abiding citizens, but the criminals are winning the rounds thus far. Pray we see some more blows from the community as a whole. Hope the police will be on the alert to protect these hard working people because the criminals might return for revenge.
Proud, I’m with you, I too would like to get hold of some of them.
i appplaud this brave MOM who gave her mother bravery for the business she care which is the bread winner for her family. Mom i really feel proud of you even do you risk your life but God helped to avoid a life taken. Please be more alerted now than ever since they might still comeback to hurt one of your family as they tend to do so, PEOPLE keep an eye on any person with acid burns and that would be the criminal. hope he stays bling forever to regrate his crimes he does.
MADDY Do you mean like the chinese lady in Santa Elena that co-operated with the thieves and at the end of the robbery they still shot her through her chest killing her while she had her baby on her back?
There is no formula on how to deal with a robbery, cause if you co-operate chances are they will kill you anyway like they did to that lady in santa elena, and if you fight back you might get hurt too. I guess it all comes down to each individual on what approach they are willing to literally be their lives on, but remember that THIS LADY THAT FOUGHT BACK GOT SHOT BUT SHE LIVED, VS THE CHINESE LADY IN SANTA ELENA WHO CO-OPERATED WITH THE CROOKS DEMANDS AND STILL GOT SHOT DEAD.
If you own a gun and use it to defend yourself you might face charges…What would you face if you start carrying a bottle of acid for self defence??? If you were getting robbed it sure would come in handy…blind that Mother Stroker and see if he can rob anybody else after that. What about making “Pepper Spray” or “Mace” available to the general public? Why doesn’t one of these Hindu or Chinese merchants have some suppliers abroad that can provide these things? It’s sad but most of the time it’s their establishments that get robbed. Believe me when I find a way to aerosolize habanero pepper extract I’m going to use it. Calling all Belizean Chemists!!!
Islander, the woman stated in her report that her kids were in the back watching Tv, enough said here.
Where is the proof that the victims you mentioned above co-operrated with their shooters? No matter how it all went down in any of these cases, no one has the right to murder anyone.
I am happy for this woman that she is still ailve, better yet ,I am even more happy that her kids still have their parents to provide for them.
Thats an excellent idea Kay. All businesses, especially those Chinese shops that are opened at nighttime, ought to have an aerosolized habanero pepper or Myra’s weapon of choice, MURIATIC acid, that is activated with the push of a button, so that when under attack, they just have to push the button and run for their life.