2025-07-09 - Greater Belize Media

Gunfire Near Grace Primary Shocks Students, Leaves One Injured

Terrifying moments unfolded at Grace Primary School in Belize City this morning, where upper school students were attending summer classes. Dozens of shots rang out just outside their classroom, forcing both students and teachers to scramble for cover. In the chaos, thirty-one-year-old Andre Kerr was found injured inside his vehicle and rushed to the hospital. The school quickly suspended classes for the day as the community grappled with the shock. News Five’s Paul Lopez was on the scene shortly after the incident and brings us this report.

This morning, chaos erupted just steps away from Grace Primary School on Faber’s Road Extension, as more than twenty gunshots shattered the calm. What unfolded was a chilling reminder of the escalating gang tensions gripping parts of Belize City, a near-fatal attack that left students, teachers, and residents shaken.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

“Summer classes were in session at Grace Primary School this morning when shots rang out a few feet away. In the aftermath a Belize city resident laid injured inside his vehicle, while students were left traumatized.”

The shooting victim has been identified as thirty-one-year-old Andre Kerr. In the wake of the gunfire, the administration at Grace Primary didn’t hesitate. Acting swiftly, they suspended classes and immediately called on parents to pick up their children. It was a tense and emotional scene, as families rushed to the compound, shaken but grateful their loved ones were safe. We spoke with the grandfather of a nine-year-old student who asked to remain anonymous.

Voice of: Grandfather of Student

“It is kind of scary to know we have our kids coming to school and something like this happened in front of the school. Mein, these guys need to hold it down. Mein this really upset me because this area it’s a lot of kids and these guys have to watch what they are doing. Anybody could have been in this cross fire. It is just a random shooting and a lot of shots. Look how much shells on the ground that the police is looking at.”

The student’s grandfather also witnessed parts of the shooting incident as it unfolded.

Voice of: Grandfather of Student

“This morning I came and brought my granddaughter to school and on my way back I went over there by the Chinese and I heard an amount of shots and when I looked back I saw this brown car run underneath that bus. So immediately I spun around and came back and when I came back, two or three guys were full of blood inside the vehicle and a motorcycle take off up Fabers Road with speed. I guess that was the gunman nuh. Well when I heard the shot the shot and I spin around and I see the vicinity of where the car ran underneath the bus I already knew that my granddaughter was already in class. But I came back to see what happened, because bullet nuh have no name and they could be flying around all over the place, mien I worried about my granddaughter. Immediately I came back to see what was going on.”

Witnesses near Grace Primary School said the gunfire sounded like a truck using jake brakes. They saw two men speeding away on a motorcycle. The car Andre Kerr was in was riddled with bullet holes in the windshield and driver’s window. After being shot in the eye, shoulder, and arm, Kerr crashed into the back of a city bus. Police found at least twenty-two shell casings at the scene and are still piecing together what happened.

Dr. Richard Rosado, Commissioner of Police

“Kerr was subsequently transported to the hospital and he is admitted in a stable condition. I want to add that the scene was processed and we have retrieved several expended shell casings. The motorcycle used in the scene was also recovered and we are looking for two persons of interest. I also want to add that the shooting appeared to be a targeted attack and we are pursuing all leads to apprehend the suspects.”

Voice of: Grandfather of Student

“It is overwhelming you know. I think lack of parenting is one of the big issues in this country. You can see it is only the youths committing these crimes. Nobody over thirty and forty shooting these guns, lone youths and I guess the youths of today they get away from their parents. In our days when our parents dealt with us it is different that today. I even see it here at the school, the kids have problems with the teacher, instead of the parents come reason with the teacher they come with attitude like they want to beat the teacher. We have to set examples for the youths if we don’t do that we will forever have this kind of problem in this country.”

That grandparent contends that there is a need for greater police presence in the area.

Dr. Richard Rosado

“My officers are working around the clock. We have increased visibility in all those hot spots. We are also monitoring the situation on the ground and conducting targeted operations, especially in those areas of concern. We have also increased police visibility in all those areas of interest.”

Authorities are asking those with information that can assist in their investigation to come forward. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.

Four Attempted Murders Amid Gang Flareups

This morning’s attempt on Andre Kerr’s life marks the fourth attempted murder in Belize City since last Friday, a troubling sign that gang violence is on the rise. So, what is the Belize Police Department doing to stop the bloodshed? Commissioner of Police Doctor Richard Rosado weighs in on the growing concern and the department’s response.

Dr. Richard Rosado, Commissioner of Police

“Any spike in violence is a concern to the police department and our investigators are working around the clock, meticulously trying to collect evidential material to identify and bring those individuals to justice. I am confident that we will have an arrest or two very shortly.”

Police and Civilians Clash in Viral Video

The Belize Police Department is once again under fire, this time, in Corozal. A shocking video is making the rounds, showing what appears to be a full-blown brawl between police officers and civilians. In the footage, several individuals, including a woman, are seen being struck repeatedly with what look like police batons. It all started with a routine traffic stop: a man riding a motorcycle without a taillight refused to pull over, leading officers straight to his family’s home. But what should have been a simple stop quickly spiraled into chaos. Family members allegedly fought back with pint bottles, sticks, and even a metal bar, leaving several officers injured. Now, multiple people are facing serious charges, and the investigation is far from over.

Dr. Richard Rosado, Commissioner of Police

“Police officers attached to the Corozal police formation were escorting the complainant to the police station when their attention was drawn to a male person who was driving a motorcycle with no headlights illuminated and the male person was also not wearing a helmet. Police sought to stop the individual, however, he refused to stop. Police then followed the individual to an area and upon detaining him and seeking to leave the location, a group of individuals, some of whom were armed with bottles, surrounding the police mobile, thereby preventing the police from leaving. The police officers then requested assistance from the Quick Response Team who arrived at the location approximately ten minutes later, at which time the group of individuals who were relatives of the persons who were detained were still preventing the police from leaving. The situation quickly escalated where several individuals were injured, including four police officers. We have launched both a criminal and a disciplinary investigation into the matter. The video that was shown to me, the behavior that I have seen from one of the police officers, at least one of the officers is inconsistent with the standard expected from our police officers. But the department, I must add, has a zero-tolerance approach to police brutality and hence the reason we have instituted both a criminal and a disciplinary investigation to ascertain what exactly transpired. I recognize the incidents that have been happening and I want to reaffirm our commitment to the principle of community policing and I want to reaffirm the community that we are taking decisive action to deal with these incidents whenever it arises and we are dealing with it as quickly and as thoroughly as possible.”

Police Concludes Investigation in Kevin De Paz Death

The investigation into the death of nineteen-year-old Kevin De Paz has officially concluded. You’ll recall, De Paz lost his life during a violent street brawl in Caye Caulker on June thirtieth, a confrontation that involved two off-duty police officers. He was stabbed multiple times and later died from his injuries. Surveillance footage shows the officers stepping in after a man was knocked unconscious by De Paz’s group. In total, five people were stabbed, and the officers claimed they acted in self-defense. Today, we asked the Commissioner of Police, Doctor Richard Rosado, for an update on the findings.

Dr. Richard Rosado, Commissioner of Police

“Reference that incident, the file has been completed and has been complied and directed to the Director of Public Prosecution and we await her directive.”

Family Loses Father and Son in Head-on Traffic Collision

A father and son, Josue and Felipe Solis, lost their lives in a tragic road traffic accident that has left their loved ones and neighbors in shock. The two were heading home after a long day’s work when their motorcycle collided with an oncoming truck. Tonight, the Rhaburn Ridge Community mourns not just the loss of two lives, but the deep void left behind. News Five’s Britney Gordon has a full story.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Just days after a string of deadly road accidents shook the nation, tragedy has struck again, this time claiming the lives of a father and son from Rhaburn Ridge. Thirty-four-year-old Josue Solis and his eighteen-year-old son Felipe were just minutes from home when their motorcycle collided with a truck on the highway. The truck driver says he was swerving to avoid potholes when the crash happened. Tonight, the Solis family is left heartbroken, and a community is once again mourning lives lost too soon.

Juan Mejia, Brother-in-law of Deceased

“Josue was on was on the pavement and Felipe was on the side, on the grass. The truck was over the other side, close to the post. I called the emergency number. And when I called the emergency number, they give me the news. The police tell me that they had already passed so I was ready, when I got [the news].”

Josue, his wife, and their three children were known as kind, hardworking neighbors, people who brought warmth to those around them. Tonight, their absence is painfully real. One neighbor, Asher Fard, shared that he still finds it hard to believe he’ll no longer hear the familiar greetings from Josue and Felipe that once brightened his days.

Asher Fard, Friend of Deceased

“I know ney people, I da she like over ten years. Dey da di best neighbor you could ever have. The guy well respectful, ih wife well respectful, the kids ney well respectful. You know ney pass you, ney always bid you the time of day. No dispute, you never hear ney people no quarrel, nothing. Ney soul da like angel di walk pan d earth as I tell you. So respectful I admire the way how is see the guy grow up ney kids and thing with respect. Mey always pass yo and always bid you the time of the day. Very cool, very humble person. Everytime he pass yo he always she yes mister Asher or yes big man.”

Felipe had recently graduated from St John’s College and had plans to pursue higher education. Until then, he had been working with his father. But now, both lives have been tragically cut short. What was meant to be a season of new beginnings has turned into a time of unimaginable loss. As Josue’s brother-in-law, Juan Mejia, puts it, this is a heartbreak that’s rippling through everyone who knew them.

Juan Mejia

“It’s a huge loss be cause he’s a dad. He have two daughters, and a wife. So it was the one provider. No. So it’s a big loss. My wife is the third sister to the family. He have families, other sisters, brothers in Honduras. Yeah, it’s a, it is a huge loss because of the life of the young boy now. He just graduated and he went and so it’s a huge loss for the family.”

The Solis family is not alone in their grief. Here’s more from Fard.

Asher Fard

“Cool brethren and ih son- lovely lee bredda, lovely lee bwai. Da wa great loss fi dis village right ya because up ya we da like wa small community. But all ah we know each other. All ah we interact with each other and everybody know each other, And da wa great loss, we feel it, I tell you. It really hurt right.”

Police are still investigating the incident, but the Solis family is calling for accountability and hopes that more can be done to protect future riders and drivers on Belize’s roads.

Juan Mejia

“The main problem in our country. We have these small roads, this is a one lane, if you go to other countries, you notice that this is one lane, so we will forever be having this problem if the governments do not fix it, for sure is the roads. The roads are too small in our country. We need to do better as a country.”

Britney Gordon for News Five.

Belize City Man Denied Bail in Shocking Rape Allegation

Tonight, a twenty-one-year-old man from Belize City is behind bars at the Belize Central Prison, following a disturbing allegation that has shocked the Saint Martin de Porres community. Antwan Petillo, a bodyworks technician of Jasmine Street, was arraigned this morning on a single charge of rape. The charge stems from an incident that allegedly took place early Saturday morning, when a woman claimed that she was forced to have sex inside a parked car near Newtown Barracks after leaving a nightclub. Petillo appeared unrepresented before Magistrate Ludlow Black and was denied bail due to the seriousness of the offense. He’s been remanded until September second, as police continue their investigation.

Teens Sentenced in Viral Horse Abuse Case

Tonight, five young men, including three minors, have learned their fate in a case that sparked national outrage. It all stems from a disturbing viral video showing a group of teens brutally attacking a horse with machetes. The footage shocked the country, and today, the courtroom was packed as sentencing was handed down. The Senior Magistrate described the act as “an unprovoked attack on a helpless animal.” While the three minors received a one-year suspended sentence, one sixteen-year-old was ordered to complete a series of strict conditions, including community service, counseling, and anger management. The two adults, both nineteen, were fined. The court heard emotional pleas from family members who described the boys as lifelong animal lovers, a stark contrast to the violence captured on video.

News 5 Pushes for Transparency in Guzman Appointment

Last night, we told you about our visit to the Ministry of Public Service in Belmopan to hand-deliver a Freedom of Information request. But that wasn’t our only stop. While in Belmopan, we also made our way to the Ministry of Home Affairs headquarters on Constitution Drive. Why? Because we’re still waiting on a promise made by Minister Kareem Musa, a promise to provide a copy of the contract for retired police officer Aaron Guzman, who’s now serving as an advisor to the ministry. Guzman reportedly earns a seventy-thousand-dollar annual salary and has been assigned a government vehicle. But the exact terms of that contract? Still a mystery. And the specifications of that vehicle? Also unknown. Let’s be clear, this isn’t about Aaron Guzman. It’s about transparency. It’s about accountability. And it’s about your right to know how public funds are being spent. Paul Lopez has the following story.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

He’s a familiar name in law enforcement circles, Aaron Guzman, the former Deputy Commissioner of Police who retired just last year after a long and distinguished career. There’s no doubt he’s got the experience. But tonight, we’re asking: why was he brought out of retirement? The Ministry of Home Affairs has hired Guzman as an advisor, reportedly with a seventy-thousand-dollar annual salary and a government-issued vehicle. But what exactly is his role? And why was this appointment necessary? When first questioned about the arrangement, Minister Kareem Musa said Guzman was advising the ministry’s CEO. But beyond that, the details remain murky.

File: June 25, 2025

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs

“It is not anything new. These government contracts exist in all ministries. Obviously, the CEO comes from an administrative background, not a policing background. So having the type of advice and council from a senior like Aaron Guzman has been very valuable to the ministry and valuable to the CEO in the conduct of her duties.”

The minister says, ‘Hey, these kinds of contracts? They’re nothing new, they exist across all ministries.’ But hold on, not everyone’s on the same page. His own Cabinet colleague, Minister of Natural Resources Cordel Hyde, is pushing back, saying his CEO doesn’t have an advisor at all.

File: June 26^,2025

Paul Lopez

“Sir does your CEO has a special advisor that is getting seventy thousand annually?”

Cordel Hyde, Minister of Natural Resources

“No, don’t give him any ideas, no.”

Paul Lopez

“As a senior politician, why would a CEO need an advisor if they are being placed in such an authoritative role?”

Cordel Hyde

“I don’t know, I cannot speak to that. I have never been a CEO. But what I can say is that the job of governance is much different than when I was first around twenty-five years ago. It is heavy lifting, a lot of work. But I can’t speak that.”

But, only a day later, we spoke with Minister Musa again and this time he clarified that Guzman was hired as an advisor to the entire ministry, not just the CEO. He even offered to provide News Five with the contract.

File: June 27, 2025

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs

“I know the media has run with this as any sort of new scandal. But anyone can tell you that Mr. Guzman is not a crony of mine. This is not a crony’s contract. You are talking about somebody with institutional experience and knowledge. And I will share the contract with you Paul, because you want to see it. But it is to the ministry, not the CEO. So please stop going with that narrative.”

So, where’s the contract Minister Musa promised to share with News 5? Despite several follow-ups, we’ve received nothing. On Tuesday, in the name of transparency, we filed an official freedom of information request. We’re not just asking for the contract’s terms but also details about the vehicle given to Guzman, including what kind it is and how much it cost taxpayers, if anything.

Paul Lopez

“We are here at the Ministry of Home Affairs compound in Belmopan City to deliver a FOIA request to the minister of Home Affairs, Kareem Musa. HE too we have been asking for the advisory contract for Aaron Guzman, retired Deputy Commissioner of Police. He has committed to providing us with that contract but we are yet to receive it. We tried to reach out to him on several occasion. Thankfully, the law affords us an avenue through FOIA, to make such request to get access to document that should be public records. So we are going to deliver this and he like the minister of public service has two weeks to give a response.”

Our request was hand-delivered, and we signed off on the delivery. So, now the clock is ticking, and hopefully we can get some answers very soon. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.

$18,000 to Replace Stolen Haulover Bridge Pipes

Now to a bizarre and frustrating situation unfolding at one of the country’s newest infrastructure projects. Just months after the grand opening of the thirty-million-dollar Haulover Bridge, parts of it are already going missing, literally. The Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing confirmed today that aluminum piping has been stolen from the bridge, leaving officials stunned and disappointed. The government says this kind of vandalism not only damages public property but disrespects a major national investment. We spoke with Chief Engineer Evondale Moody, who shared more on this troubling incident.

Evondale Moody, Chief Engineer, MIDH

“We found out that a section of the aluminum bullet rail that is basically on top of the jersey barrier that separates the carriage wave from the pedestrian footpath. We observed that approximately thirty meters of that rail was removed, and it was basically saw cut because that was the only way that they could have removed it. And so we just wanted to reach out to the public so that they could be aware of the facing of the infrastructure, which is a key asset for the Government of Belize and also for the MIDH. And we believe that we need the public’s assistance so that they could inform us when these things are occurring, if they see it, because there’s no way that we could oversee and monitor all our assets 24 hours a day. What we would have to do is will a new section in between. Because the rail itself is a continuous rail all the way across the bridge structure, and it’s also in an attachment whereby it strings through a hole itself on the bridge. And so there was no elsewhere for you to steal it, but to cut it. And so yes, can be repaired. However, something like that has cost us approximately, will cost us approximately eighteen thousand to replace, because when we built the bridge, the rate for that rail was six hundred dollars per meter. Meter is only three feet, three point two eight feet to be exact. And so to replace that intersection we will have to spend to replace it.”

MIDH Says Pipe Thieves Likely Tampered with Bridge Reinforcement

First, it was aluminum pipes being stolen. Now, we’ve discovered something even more alarming: several nuts and bolts from the bridge’s handrails have either been loosened or removed entirely. And get this, they weren’t cut or broken, they were simply unscrewed. Earlier today, we visited the bridge and spoke with Chief Engineer Evondale Moody, who explained why the bolts weren’t welded in place and what role they play in the bridge’s safety. He also shared more on the damage being caused by reckless drivers along the Coastal Highway. The Ministry of Infrastructure is urging the public to stop damaging these vital national assets, but is anyone listening?

Evondale Moody, Chief Engineer, MIDH

“Those are tightened screws. And so you have the screws coming out of the jersey bar and then you have an anchor that will support the horizontal rail that is there. Those anchors are still in place. Those have not been removed. It is the horizontal bar that has been removed from the bridge itself. Those are not welded. Those are just bolted in place in the event that we have to replace the entire section. So those remain as is. But if you can see if those are loose, then more than likely they were trying to lose those first. And so they decided to cut the horizontal bar, so those are not welded in place. Those are bolted in place.”

Britney Gordon

“Okay. So what purpose do they serve? If they can be taken out so easily.”

Evondale Moody

“It’s basically a handrail for the pedestrians, so it segregates the jersey barrier is for the vehicle traffic. If they hit that. That will deflect them from getting into the pedestrian footpath. However, on top of that jersey bar is a handrail, and that is a handrail is used for the pedestrians. The coastal Highway has only been open, I think just over a year and a half now, going on two years and over four kilometers of guardrail has been damaged. I can share some photos with you to highlight that. The four kilometers, that is basically four thousand meters. Each meter of guardrail passes us three hundred per meter. Again, a meter is three point two eight feet, so that’s over twelve thousand feet of guardrail. It’s happening at many different location because of reckless driving. However, what I want to, the positive thing about it is that the guardrail is serving its purpose. Because it is deflecting the vehicles from going off the road and no one has died as far as I’m aware. And so they crash into the barrier. And the barrier works because it deflects you back onto the road, which is the purpose of the barrier. However, most of these incidents that are occurring is because of drunk driving or reckless driving, and that is something that we definitely have to plan on, but that is not under our mandate to do that. But we have to protect our assets because. We are the one that has to replace it.”