A tragic night in Caye Caulker has left a family grieving and a community demanding answers. Nineteen-year-old Kevin de Paz, a Belizean-American just days away from beginning his journey with the U.S. Army, was killed in a violent altercation in the heart of the village. What began as a simple outing for food with a friend ended in a deadly confrontation—one that reportedly involved two off-duty police officers. Now, Kevin’s body lies in the KHMH morgue, and serious questions are swirling about what really happened that night—and why. Assistant Superintendent Stacy Smith shares what police know so far.
Stacy Smith
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer
“So far what police have learnt is that two off-duty officers were in front of a fast-food establishment when they observed a golf cart with male occupants stopping at their location and one of the male occupants is reported to have shoved an individual was similarly at the fast-food stand. It is reported that the officers intervened in this ongoing altercation and the male persons departed. It is reported and alleged that that golf cart with the male person, along with other male persons, returned to the location shortly thereafter and an altercation ensued between the off-duty officers and the occupants of the golf cart. The altercation resulted in the fatal stabbing of nineteen-year-old Kevin DePaz. The injury to one of the police officers by way of a stab wound and another injury to the other officer, as well as the injury of Canul who is reported to be in a stable condition, and another male person Nishan Allen that was in the group, who is reported to be in a critical condition. The police’s investigation into this matter continues. The commissioner has emphasized the need for a thorough investigation to be conducted, both by the Major Crimes Unit of the police department and the Professional Standards Branch. Commissioner Rosado has also reached out to the family of the victim in this incident and is heading out to Caye Caulker in relation to this incident.”
Heartbreak and outrage continue to ripple through the island community of Caye Caulker following the tragic death of nineteen-year-old Kevin De Paz. What was supposed to be a peaceful night turned deadly in the early hours of the morning, when a fight broke out near Pueblo Nuevo Street. Two off-duty police officers reportedly stepped in—but instead of calming the situation, the confrontation escalated. Kevin was fatally stabbed, and two others were injured. Now, serious questions are being raised about public safety and the role of law enforcement in this deadly encounter. News Five’s Britney Gordon has the details.
Kevin De Paz
Britney Gordon, Reporting
He had just returned to Belize—nineteen-year-old Kevin De Paz, full of promise and preparing to serve in the U.S. Army. But less than a month after coming home to visit family, his life was tragically cut short. Around 2:30 a.m., what began as a night out with friends turned violent. An altercation escalated, and two off-duty police officers reportedly stepped in. By the end of it, Kevin was fatally wounded. Now, with a family in mourning and a community demanding answers, the Commissioner of Police says a full investigation is underway.
Richard Rosado
Dr. Richard Rosado, Commissioner of Police
“Investigating a stabbing incident that occurred sometime around 2:30 this morning, where five individuals were stabbed, including police officers. They were all transported to the Caye Caulker polyclinic and we’re one of nineteen-year-olds succumbed to his injuries. I have assigned the major crime unit from Belmopan to do a thorough investigation. They are on the grounds, meticulously collecting evidential material to ensure that a thorough investigation is being conducted.”
According to police reports, De Paz and four others were stabbed in the incident, including the two officers. Nishan Allen, one of the individuals injured, was flown to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in critical condition but has reportedly been stabilized.
Police officer
Dr. Richard Rosado
“Our initial investigation revealed that revealed that two off-duty police officers were at a fast food, when another two individuals went and hit another male individual, causing him to collapse unconscious to the ground. The two police officers did intervene, with the view to apprehend those suspects, and in the apprehension of suspect, a brawl ensued where several persons were stabbed.”
Police officer
Britney Gordon
“Has it been revealed how many knives were at the scene? If the five people were stabbed, if there was only one weapon that may have passed forth between the groups.”
Dr. Richard Rosado
“From the evidential material that we have collected, we have seen that threeindividuals were armed.”
Britney Gordon
“Can we confirm whether those individuals were from both parties?”
Dr. Richard Rosado
“Yes. From both parties.”
Earlier this year, police officers underwent specialized training to help them deescalate tense situations, especially those involving individuals with mental health challenges or erratic behavior, without resorting to lethal force. But now, following a deadly incident involving two off-duty officers, some are questioning whether one of those officers was mentally fit to be on duty in the first place. Commissioner of Police Dr. Richard Rosado has responded, saying both officers are in the right state of mind. Still, the questions linger: Are the right systems in place to ensure accountability and readiness within the force?
Dr. Richard Rosado
“As far as I am aware, he’s in all his mental faculties and he has been performing his duties within his mental faculties. So he has no issues or areas of concern about his mental faculties, but I want to add that the department will conduct a thorough investigation and after. the file would be forward to the DPP for her directives.”
De Paz’s death has sent a wave of sadness over the island. Although he was living abroad, he was a familiar face in the community. Chairlady Seleny Villanueva says the island is mourning.
Seleny Villanueva
Seleny Villanueva, Chair, Caye Caulker
“I do want to take this opportunity to extend my deepest love and condolences tothe family. Like I said, Caye Caulker is a close knit community and when it hitsone of us it’s all of us who, and my heart goes out to the family.”
The officers have since been placed on administrative leave while the investigation is underway.
Dr. Richard Rosado
“We have been looking at several different avenues in how we can equip our officers with non-lethal weapons and also to train them in de-escalation tactics to prevent incident like this.”
The investigation into the tragic death of Kevin De Paz has now reached a critical stage. The case has been forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, as the two off-duty officers involved claim they acted in self-defense. But the De Paz family isn’t waiting quietly—they’ve made it clear they intend to pursue legal action of their own. As the legal process unfolds, the community continues to demand answers and accountability. Britney Gordon for News Five.
A night out in Orange Walk took a violent turn this weekend, leaving a police officer seriously injured and a community rattled. Constable David Banner was on duty, helping to keep the peace at a local establishment, when things spiraled out of control. A group of men reportedly tried to force their way in, and what started as a confrontation quickly turned into chaos. In the middle of the scuffle, Constable Banner was stabbed, viciously, by two of the men involved. He’s now recovering, and the police are investigating what led to this brutal attack on one of their own.
Stacy Smith
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer
“Police have detained two male persons in connection with the stabbing of Police Constable David Banner who was providing security at a nightclub in Orange Walk. Initial investigations reveal that approximately 3:25 a.m. PC Banner, along with another officer, were conducting security at the business establishment when a group of male persons sought to gain entry. They were denied, as the establishment had already been closed; however, the group of male persons is reported to have attacked the officers which resulted in the injury to the Police Constable David Banner.”
It was a bold and brazen robbery in broad daylight in Orange Walk, and it’s got the whole town talking. Just after 1:30 p.m. on Friday, employees of Triple A Imports were traveling along Arthur Street when their vehicle was suddenly blocked by an SUV. Two masked men—one wielding a gun, the other a hammer—jumped out and robbed the employees of an undisclosed sum of cash. But that’s not all. In their getaway, the suspects reportedly crashed into a vehicle belonging to the town’s mayor. Yes, Mayor Ladrick Shepard. Police have since detained one person and are actively investigating whether this could have been an inside job. While no conclusions have been made, authorities say the way the robbery unfolded raises serious questions.
Stacy Smith
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer
“Police are investigating a robbery that occurred at approximately 1:30 p.m. onFriday on Arthur Street in Orange Walk Town. Initial investigation revealed that on the aforementioned date and time, employees of Triple A Imports were traveling onboard a vehicle on Arthur Street when an SUV blocked their path and two male persons, one armed with a firearm and the other with a hammer, exited the vehicle and proceeded to rob the employees of an undisclosed amount of money belonging to Triple A Imports. The male persons, thereafter, returned to the SUV and made good their escape. Police have detained one person in connection with this ongoing investigation.”
Reporter
“Okay, so in that report it does not mention, it does not mention that when they reversed, they crashed into the mayor, who was in a gold Prado. Are you all aware of that element of it?”
Stacy Smith
“Yes.”
Reporter
“So now, I understand that a salesperson has been detained?”
Stacy Smith
“The information that has been disclosed is the extent to which the departmentwishes to disclose at this moment.”
Reporter
“Is it an inside job?”
Stacy Smith
“There is no indication at this moment that can conclusively say so. However, how the incident unfolded, inference can be made in that regard. However, it is not conclusive at this point.”
It was a startling scene near one of Belize City’s most iconic landmarks. Just after 4 p.m. on Saturday, gunshots rang out at the foot of the Swing Bridge, right in the middle of the afternoon hustle. A man standing on the North Front Street side was reportedly targeted by someone aboard a passing boat. The shooter fired multiple rounds before speeding off toward BelChina Bridge. No one was hurt, but the boldness of the attack has police on high alert. And now, they’re looking for a man who might have answers. Here’s what we know so far.
Stacy Smith
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer
“At approximately four p.m. on Saturday, police responded to reports of shots being fired near the foot of the Swing Bridge in Belize City. Initial investigation revealed that a male person was standing at the foot of Swing Bridge, the North Front Street side when a male person fired several shots at him. This male person was onboard a boat that was coming from the direction of the boat terminals in Belize City and heading to BelChina Bridge. The boat and the male person onboard successfully escaped.”
Reporter
“Was there a known target?”
Stacy Smith
“Police are currently seeking one male person who they believe can assist withthis investigation.”
Reporter
“Reports we received is that the weapon used resembled a semi-automatic or an automatic rifle and that it had an extended clip. Do you all have that information?”
Stacy Smith
“We have heard that indeed, and I must say that no scene was established because of the location where it occurred. So, we are unable to say what caliber or what type of weapon was used in the incident. However, that is the information that has come to the police and that is the reason why we are seeking a particular individual in connection to this incident.
A tragic accident on the Thomas Vincent Ramos Highway has left one family mourning and another community searching for answers. Police responded to a distressing scene near mile forty-five in southern Belize, where two young men, nineteen-year-old Aaron Cal and twenty-year-old Jeffery Cal, were found injured after a traffic accident. Both were rushed to the Independence Polyclinic, but sadly, Jeffery Cal, a resident of San Isidro Village, did not survive. Initial investigations reveal a painful irony: Jeffery was reportedly the one driving the motorcycle that struck Aaron. Tonight, police are still working to determine the full circumstances, including whether alcohol or the lack of a helmet played a role. Assistant Superintendent of Police Stacy Smith spoke with reporters earlier today.
Stacy Smith
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer
“Police responded to reports of a traffic accident near mile forty-five on the Thomas Vincent Ramos Highway in southern Belize. Upon arrival at the scene, officers observed nineteen-year-old Aaron Cal and twenty-year-old Jeffery Cal with varying degrees of injuries. Both male persons were rushed to the Independence Polyclinic for treatment, however, Jeffery Cal of San Isidro Village succumbed to the injuries he sustained in the accident. Initial investigations revealed that Aaron Cal was walking near mile forty-five along the Thomas Vincent Ramos Highway, heading to Bella Vista, when he was hit by a motorcycle being driven by Jeffery Cal.”
Reporter
“Was alcohol a factor? Do you all know at this point?”
Stacy Smith
“At this point in time, we cannot confirm or deny whether that was a factor.”
Reporter “Was the victim wearing a helmet?”
Stacy Smith
“I have also sought to ascertain that information but, unfortunately, I have not been able to do so, thus far.”
Belize’s public servants have spoken—but what are they really saying? In a recent vote, more than seventy-five percent of members of the Public Service Union agreed to accept the Government’s latest salary and increment proposal. On the surface, it looks like a clear win for compromise and progress. But with nearly one in four members voting “No”, the results also raise deeper questions: Is this truly a step forward for all public officers? Or is it just the best option in a tough situation? The PSU’s leadership has pledged to move ahead with the agreement, while also keeping a close eye on how, and if, the government delivers on its promises. At the same time, they’re preparing for the possibility of industrial action should things go off track. This vote may be over, but the real work is just beginning. As the Union turns its attention to pension reform, cost-saving measures, and good governance, the question remains: Will this deal bring lasting change, or just temporary relief?
Dean Flowers
Dean Flowers, President, Public Service Union
“We would have opened the polls to our general membership on Friday. We had a general membership meeting on Friday as well to explain where we were in the negotiations with government. We went through the last proposal sent to us or given to us by the government a day prior and we opened up ourselves to questions and clarifications where those were needed, as it relates to this last offer and we told our general membership that the reason why the matter needed their approval was given the fact that today would have been the expiration of the twenty-one days notice. Whichever way the PSU would have gone would have signaled the direction that the APSSM would have gone since, like I said, those members who are active and since not all of them are active and not all of them are members of the APSSM at all levels, similar to the wider Public Service Union, even though at the Public Service Union level we would ensure that only our registered members can participate in that process. But I certainly did not anticipate a difference in the outcome of the vote between the APSSM and the PSU, given the relationship that exists between those two entities. As it relates to the BNTU, it’s a matter of their constitution. Their constitution has a provision in their as we were informed that it requires a fifty plus one participation in the process, while on the other hand our process is more a democratic process whereby majority present and voting dictates the direction of the union, hence the reason why we continue to insist and implore on our members to remain engaged to ensure that their voices are registered and that they have their say.”
There was a familiar face at the negotiating table on Thursday—Labor Minister Florencio Marin Jr. sat in on the latest meeting between the Joint Unions Negotiating Team and government officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde. While Marin was there strictly as an observer, his presence didn’t go unnoticed. After all, he wears two hats: one as a government minister, and the other with the labor tribunal. And that dual role hasn’t escaped the attention of PSU President Dean Flowers. Here’s what he had to say.
It’s more than just numbers on a balance sheet; it’s the daily bread of hundreds of hardworking farmers. The sugarcane industry is staring down over fifty million dollars in losses, but for the men and women in the fields, the crisis is deeply personal. A silent threat, fusarium, a soil-borne fungus, is spreading fast, slashing yields and leaving farmers unable to repay loans or prepare for the next crop season. Tonight, we take a closer look at how this growing problem is threatening not just an industry, but livelihoods. Paul Lopez has the story.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
The sugar industry in northern Belize is in serious trouble—and now, it’s official. On Friday, Prime Minister John Briceño sounded the alarm, calling the situation an existential crisis. The culprit? Fusarium, a fast-spreading, soil-borne fungus that’s devastating cane fields and slashing yields.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“With a production of eight hundred and eighty thousand tons of cane producing seventy-eight thousand tons of sugar the industry is projected to earn one hundred and ten million dollars, mostly in foreign exchange, representing a significant reduction to fifty-three million from one hundred and fifty-six point five million dollars generated in 2024.”
A decrease in production and yield per ton of sugar means less money in the pockets of farmers. They are the backbone of the industry and now their livelihood is at stake. Chairman of the Corozal Sugar Producers Association, Vladamir Puck says the full extent of the impact has yet to be assessed.
Vladamir Puck
Vladamir Puck, Chairman, CSCPA
“Right now we have some numbers, but I am more that sure that it is more than we expected.”
Paul Lopez
“It is the numbers that we heard the PM and the minister reference of Friday.”
Vladamir Puck
“Those are the numbers we are working with, but as a farmer looking at the fields at the ground level where we are, we know it is a little bit worst.”
It’s a troubling sight for anyone driving along the Phillip Goldson Highway, rows of sugarcane turning yellow, a silent signal that something is very wrong. That yellowing isn’t just a color change, it’s a warning. A fast-spreading, soil-borne fungus has taken hold, and it’s threatening to wipe out entire fields. The Chairman of the Belize Sugarcane Farmers Association, Alfredo Ortega, is sounding the alarm, warning that if urgent action isn’t taken, the industry could be headed for dark and difficult days.
Alfredo Ortega
Alfredo Ortega, Chairman, BSCFA
“If nothing is being done as we speak right now, then you will see a vast majority of farmers going out of production. That is why as leaders we are looking and seeing how we can get assistance so that reduce the amount. As we speak there are many cane field being totally damaged by this pest, especially the fusarium.”
Paul Lopez
“Could the sugar industry end up the same as the citrus industry down south?”
Alfredo Ortega
“It can happen, I think for many years we have taken the sugar industry for granted, and we only say time is going by. But now we are experiencing these issues, climate change, the pest, low yields, it is a real combination and we have to takethe bull by the horn and get the assistance we are seeking now.”
For that assistance, the farmers are turning to the government. Four sugarcane farmers associations met today at the SIRDI Headquarters to formulate a proposal to the Briceño administration. Their immediate concern is that the low yields per ton means less money in the farmer’s pocket. As a result, farmers will have a hard time leveraging their projected production with the commercial banks.
Vladamir Puck
“The cane farmers goes to their banks, as soon as they end their deliveries, during the crop. They request their document form the association and go to their banks to be refinanced. Right now farmers, the one that delivered fifty percent, we would like to know how the banks would treat them.”
Paul Lopez
“Because if they go the bank with those documents then they cant get the amount of money they would get before.”
Vladimir Puck
“That is right, and if they do so how will they service their fields and feed theirfamilies.”
Alfredo Ortega
“The yields on our field was low, so farmers will be able to clear off the debt they had before. So it will be very difficult for farmers to go back to the bank and refinance what they need to do the necessary husbandry at the field, but they need more to fight the pest that is there.”
The associations are seeking assistance from the Government of Belize to urge commercial banks to offer some relief to farmers in the short term. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.
Imagine running a business where every year, you must take out a loan—at a whopping fourteen percent interest—just to keep things going. That’s the reality for many sugarcane farmers in Belize, according to Agriculture Minister Jose Mai. It’s a cycle that’s worked—until something disrupts production and throws everything off balance. On Friday, we sat down with Minister Mai to talk about the financial strain on farmers, and what happens when the system they rely on starts to crack.
Jose Mai, Minister of Agriculture
“The CRESAR project will also benefit the farmers. It is a grant program and loan program. DFC is a part of it. La Immaculada is a part of it. But DFC will have to play a very important role. Why, and I said this yesterday, the banks have no interest in helping everybody. The banks are here to make money. So if you have a disease or not, I want fourteen percent interest and that is what I charge. Can you imagine operating your cane fields with loans a fourteen percent interest and every year you go back to borrow on the same fields, it is just killing the industry. What have been discussed is moving of farmers to a bank that is more farmer friendly and interest friendly, because who can survive in this day and age producing food at fourteen percent interest, no one.”
