Family of Mennonite contractor react to his slaying

It is not usual that we report on crime at the Commercial Free Zone in Corozal, which is considered a safe place for businessmen, employees and shoppers generally from Mexico who frequent the zone. But at around four on Wednesday afternoon that safety was breached when two gunmen, believed to be Mexicans, pulled up at the worksite of a Mennonite contractor and shot him dead, then disappeared into nearby bushes in the direction of the Northern border. News Five’s Marion Ali travelled to Corozal today to investigate the mystery behind this latest murder and how access was gained into the zone without detection by security.

Raul Rosado, C.E.O., Commercial Free Zone
“I think it’s very surprising to everyone, not only the administration, but the investors and the visitors. It’s very unfortunate but again, like I say, we’ll be dealing with the proper authorities and see what measures we can take in the future.”

Marion Ali
“You think it will affect business?”

Raul Rosado
“I’m hoping not. I think it’s an isolated incident.”

Jacob Braun, Brother of Deceased
“It’s a shock for us; for the whole family. We don’t know why that have to happen.”

Marion Ali
“Was construction work his only means of livelihood? Did he also use to be a businessman or…?”

Jacob Braun
“Years ago he use to be a businessman but now in the last years he has been doing construction, yeah.”

Marion Ali, Reporting
The shooting death of for forty-one year old Wilhelm Braun struck everyone at the Free Zone by total surprise. Braun was reportedly working at the back of his worksite at S.P. 2000 Plaza when his life was cut short.

Marion Ali
“News Five understands that Braun was on the upper flat of this incomplete building behind me and had only come downstairs to pick up something from this location when his attackers, who were lay-waiting him pounced on him, unleashing multiple bullets into his body.”

Supt. Miguel Guzman, O.C., Corozal Police Station
“The investigation so far from witnesses reveal that two Hispanic male persons arrived there at about three-forty, three-forty-five p.m. He was working on the second floor. He came down and soon as he came down apparently they were waiting for him, one of them armed with what appeared to be a nine millimeter pistol and the other one with a submachine gun. The person with the nine millimeter gun opened fire on him at a close range and when he fell to the ground the person with the submachine gun opened fire. We have recovered some expended shells, mostly nine millimeter shells, from the scene which are consistent to what the witnesses have reported. Thereafter, the two assailants made their way towards a bushy lot in the area walking. Initially they started walking and as soon as they arrived in the bush they start running inn the bush and this leads to the bush which is adjacent to the river separating the Belize/Mexican border.”

Braun died instantly from a total of nine bullet wounds. Today the only workman at the site was Oscar Guy, who did not hear the shots because of the heavy duty equipment that was in use at the time.

Oscar Guy, Workman for Murdered Contractor
“Dehn tell we dehn shot di man and I peep. Di man up dehn ball, dehn di ball up deh. When I come see it dehn seh di man done dead, dehn shot ah fi true and everybody start come down. Dehn start to run gone si di man.”

Marion Ali
“Where they shot him?”

Oscar Guy
“Well, I noh really si. I si right yah so shot and ih hand yah bore and ih chest dehn seh.”

Marion Ali
“From di building start you deh wid ah?”

Oscar Guy
“Yeah, from dis start. Dah di most kind boss dat. Di man mi used to treat wi good and everything. Dis shock mi yes, ih shock mi.”

But while the incident shocked Braun’s workmen, the possibility of such an attack was something under discussion between Belizean and Mexican authorities for a while now.

Supt. Miguel Guzman
“We were just in the process of trying to strengthen our border securities; both from the Mexican side and the Belizean side. But unfortunately, this incident occurred, which was a hot topic yesterday during our meeting. It’s something that we will be looking at. We have come up with other strategies to see how we can strengthen security in the area because it’s an area that we would agree that it’s kinda vulnerable but it’s not on a day to day basis that incidents of this nature occur at the Free Zone. It is still a secure are because we have good security in the place. Probably we need to improve a little bit on our security.”

Raul Rosado
“Entering the zone there is not much search that we do. We do not want to discourage people from visiting the Free Zone. We have a police detachment at the border, which we ever had. We are making sure that we have all the proper measures in place. It is very unfortunate that this incident happened but I am pretty sure that the proper authorities will see where they are failing and they will make adjustments to it.”

Because the attackers were well dressed, they tricked everyone into thinking that they were on law enforcement authorities.

Supt. Miguel Guzman
“They were well shaven, neat haircut. The witnesses even went to the point of saying that initially they thought they were police officers the way how they were dressed. And so it didn’t draw any suspicion. They thought it was police officers going to effect an arrest but when they saw the incident happen then they realised that something was wrong. The motive is still uncertain as yet. Obviously, it was not a case of robbery, it was just a matter that the people came, they shot him and they left. So it is possible, there are a number of possibilities that we could look at including the possibility that it could have been a direct hit on the person. But we are still looking at all angles on the investigation. We have not come to any conclusion or affirmative conclusion to say well this is the reason why.”

But while police are still trying to decipher the motive of the attack, they have detained one suspect.

Supt. Miguel Guzman
“The person that we detained last night is the owner of a grey four door car. We have the car, he is a Mexican national, we have the grey four door car in custody as well as the person and we are doing some checks on him. Perhaps he can assist us with the investigation or during the course of the investigation.”

Marion Ali
“Where was he picked up?”

Supt. Miguel Guzman
“At the Free Zone; right inside within the Free Zone compound. He was trying to leave the free zone on foot saying that he would leave his car in the Free Zone and that sort of drew our suspicion.”

Police have taken swab tests from the suspect’s hands to determine whether there was the presence of any gunpowder residue to link him to the crime. They are now working in tandem with their Mexican counterparts to try to apprehend a second man they believe absconded across the northern border via a chain link fence and the river separating our two countries. Reporting for News Five, Marion Ali.

The man police have detained is forty-one year old Mexican national David Esquivel. The only other recent incident was the shootout at the Las Vegas Casino in mid July in which three Belizeans and their U.S. employer are still in the custody of Mexican authorities.