Businessman, thirty-three-year-old Cruz Magaña, was fatally shot last night in Fresh Pond in Burrell Boom Village. It happened at around eight o’clock during a home invasion at Magaña’s residence.
Police say that two masked men barged into the residence and held family members at gunpoint. The intruders demanded money. One of the family members managed to escape and seek help from neighbours.
Gunshots were later heard. Magaña was found bleeding. He was rushed to the K.H.M.H., where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Thirty-three-year-old Devain Flores pleaded guilty to two counts of child cruelty when he appeared before the lower courts two weeks ago, after a brief video showing him physically abusing a three-year-old child went viral. Flores was back at the magistrate’s court today, where a mitigation plea was to be heard on his behalf. He waved his right to call on character witnesses when all four persons, including his mother, his common-law wife, a brother and a fourth individual did not make it to court. Despite being given additional time for Flores to get his witnesses to court, he proceeded to ask the Senior Magistrate to continue with sentencing. Flores told the court that he is taking full responsibility for his actions. Nonetheless, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams, who is prosecuting the matter is seeking a custodial sentence of not less than twelve months in prison. ComPol Williams is of the view that a fine is not appropriate and that Flores should serve time behind bars. Flores has been remanded back to prison.
Two men are recovering from gunshot injuries after they were pursued and fired upon in retaliation after engaging in a fight on Saturday. Reports are that forty-year-old George Dominguez and thirty-five-year-old Dwayne Tillett were in a fight with another individual and while socializing in a yard about an hour later, they were targeted by a gunman. A.C.P Hilberto Romero provided us with more information.
“On Saturday, the first day of June 2024 police responded to a shooting incident at eighteenth Street San Ignacio Town. Upon arrival, they found George Dominguez and Dwayne Tillett with gunshot injuries. They were taken to a medical facility for treatment, where they remained in a stable condition. Investigation revealed that these two persons were involved in a fight about an hour prior to the shooting and they, they went to this yard. Shortly thereafter, a male person approached them with a firearm and fired several shots towards their direction, causing their injuries. We have several persons in custody in regard to this shooting.”
Reporter
“Motive?”
Hilberto Romero
“It is some fight that they had prior. They had the fight one hour prior, then the shooting occurred.”
Reporter
“Is the suspect a Belize National or is he from neighboring Guatemala?”
Tonight, a man is recovering in the hospital after he was shot on Sunday in Santa Elena, Cayo. He is forty-year-old David Galindo, who was purchasing food when a vehicle approached him and up to fifteen shots were fired in his direction. Galindo was previously shot in 2021, while walking home, but had recovered from his injuries. Tonight, he is in critical condition. Here is A.C.P Hilberto Romero with more details.
“On Sunday, the second day of June 2024 around eleven thirty p.m., police responded to a report of a shooting incident at Salazar Street in the Cayo district. Upon arrival, they found David Galindo with gunshot injuries. He was rushed for medical treatment. Investigation is that Galindo was at a fast-food place at the area when a vehicle arrived with several male persons. One of the male persons got out of the vehicle and fired several shots towards Galindo causing his injury. Galindo is presently receiving treatment in a critical condition.”
Reporter
“Any motive at this time?”
Hilberto Romero
“From what we understand some feud with rival groups in that area.”
Reporter
“Is the police is bringing these sites for a mediation effort?”
Hilberto Romero
“Several persons are in custody. If anybody is to be charged, they will be charged. And if there is any need for mediation then that will be done”
Reporter
“Is Galindo cooperating with police?”
Hilberto Romero
“He is in a critical condition so as soon as he recovers, we will interview him.”
The first meeting of the Joint Cooperation Commission between Belize and Panama for the 2024–2026 bilateral programme was co-chaired by the CEO of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Amalia Mai, and Panama’s Vice Minister of Multilateral Affairs and Cooperation, Yill Otero.
The session was held at Padre Guardia Jaén Hall in the Bolívar Palace, Panama City.
Both leaders highlighted the significance of enhancing friendship and bilateral cooperation through the new cooperation program. This initiative promotes the exchange of knowledge, best practices, and experiences, with the goal of strengthening institutions and improving the quality of life for citizens in both countries.
The Bilateral Cooperation Program 2024-2026 includes projects focused on tourism, special education, language exchange, environmental protection, and disability inclusion.
Two individuals were hospitalised following a dramatic rescue and subsequent fuel tanker explosion that caused the closure of all southbound lanes of the North Freeway near Tidwell Road for over twenty hours.
Houston police reported that a speeding vehicle collided with an 18-wheeler transporting fuel, causing the tanker to fishtail and overturn at approximately 10 p.m. on Saturday.Belizean Armin Franco, present in a neighbour’s yard a block away, heard the collision and immediately rushed to assist, accompanied by two other strangers. The truck was still in motion when they arrived at the scene.
Franco, along with the other good Samaritans, discovered the car’s driver bloodied, unconscious, and trapped.
Just seconds after extricating him from the wreckage, the tanker exploded, propelling the rescuers backward with its force.
Houston Police stated that the driver rescued by Franco remained in critical condition on Sunday.
“Maybe one day it could happen to me. That’s why I ran to help the guy,” Franco explained.
Portico Enterprises Limited CEO David Gegg has written to the Clerk of the National Assembly, Eddie Webster, rectifying statements made.
Gegg appeared before the Senate Special Select Committee on May 21 in Belmopan, where committee members asked him about the Portico “Definative Agreement.”.
In the letter, Gegg tells Webster, “After revisiting my records and my testimony, I recognised that the following statements were made in error.” Gegg says that while he sent an email to a personal email, which he believed to be for Tourism Minister Anthony Mahler, he “did not attach the Definitive Agreement. I also note that at no point was the agreement delivered to him.”
David Gegg’s letter to Cleak of the NA Eddie Webster
Gegg also clarified that he also sent it to an incorrect email from Prime Minister John Briceño. “I note however that the email I sent it to was to a jbreceno as opposed to jbriceno and as such it would not have reached the Prime Minster.”
“I apologize for the errors and trust that the record will be amended accordingly.”
The Sugar Industry Commission of Inquiry held its inaugural meeting on Wednesday, May 29. The meeting was held virtually.
A government press release says it had the participation of Wayne Piper, Chairman, and the five commissioners: Robert Mariette and Vinod Ramharai from Mauritius, Jeffery Joseph from Belize, Andy Church from South Africa, and Simon Gibbons from the United Kingdom. Also in attendance were Lorena Posada, Secretary to the Commission; Hugh O’Brien, Lead Coordinator for the Government of Belize; Marcos Osorio, Chairman of the Sugar Industry Control Board (SICB); and Krity Neermul, Technical Coordinator for the Mauritius team.
According to the government, the meeting focused on discussing and agreeing upon the general plan for the first phase of work, along with associated logistics. This phase will include visits to the mills at BSI and Santander, as well as farm and field trips to sugar production sites in northern and western Belize. Commissioners are scheduled to begin arriving in Belize during the first week of June, with logistical support provided by the SICB.
This commission aims to examine the entire value chain of the sugar cane industry and provide recommendations to the Government of Belize.
The commissioners aim to complete their report(s) by the deadline of November 30, 2024.
Claudia Sheinbaum achieved a historic, landslide victory. On Sunday, June 2, preliminary figures show the left-wing Morena party candidate secured nearly 60% of the vote, compared to almost 30% for her right-wing opponent, Xochitl Galvez. Sheinbaum’s win is even more decisive than that of her predecessor, current Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO), in 2018.
Standing before a Mexican flag, Sheinbaum, who will become Mexico’s first female president, reiterated a frequent message on Sunday night: “I’m not coming here alone, but with all Mexican women.” In the Zocalo, the country’s largest public square, her supporters, who had been gathered for hours, celebrated joyfully. During her campaign, Sheinbaum appeared more relaxed than she had in the past, but her aides affirm she will govern as she always has: with hard work, rigor, and dedication.
Sheinbaum’s name will be etched in history as Mexico’s first female president, breaking the glass ceiling of 200 years of male leadership.
Doris Grant will have her day in court to answer to the multitude of charges that have been brought against her. She is accused of defrauding a Mennonite businessperson in land transactions that weren’t worth the paper they were printed on. And today, the Minister of Home Affairs says the file sits on the D.P.P’s desk and that contrary to what has been reported in other media circles, the prime minister is not part of that investigation team. Grant’s Reggae Street home and her farmhouse in Gardenia Village have both been searched by investigators led by D.C.P. Doctor Richard Rosado but have turned up nothing incriminating. This week, Grant informed News Five that police took a chest with her diabetes medication and took pictures of documents she has for her car and receipts for building supplies and returned them to her. Today, Musa told reporters that witnesses from the Mennonite community have given police statements as part of the investigation.
Kareem Musa
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
“I have been informed that there was an investigation being carried out into an alleged land fraud, as you rightly mentioned. I think it is over the course of the last month or so that an investigation has been carried out. I am told that several witnesses from the Mennonite community have provided statements. And so that entire file, I am told, has been turned over to the D.P.P.’s office.
Reporter
“Any reasoning why I believe Ms. Grant’s home has been searched twice and for the second time it was searched for five hours?”
Kareem Musa
“I am not certain. That is a matter for the investigative team as that investigation is still ongoing. And so looking for evidence, I’m sure is one of the reasons behind searches of that nature. And so I would think that is the reason why, you know, if at all, the prime minister is involved at any level in this investigation. Absolutely not. No, that is being carried out by the Belize Police Department. Not by the prime minister as I believe someone was trying to suggest that is not the case.”
