In a devastating tragedy that has upended the life of a promising young athlete, 16-year-old Orell Reyes of Pomona Village, Belize, is now bedridden and paralyzed from the waist down just days after he was gunned down in an unprovoked ambush. Just one week before the shooting, Reyes was running drills and sprinting across the football field with his teammates, looking forward to a future anchored in the sport he loved.
The life-altering attack unfolded on June 2, shortly after Reyes wrapped up a routine football practice. As he walked with his cousins, two gunmen riding a motorcycle opened fire on the group, striking the teen in the back. When Reyes woke up in a local hospital, he quickly realized he had lost all sensation below his waist. Describing his condition to local outlet News 5, Reyes said, “From my waist to my foot, dead, dead, dead, pops. I can’t feel nothing.” To this day, the bullet that robbed him of his mobility remains stuck in his back.
Local medical professionals have warned that attempting to surgically remove the bullet inside Belize carries too high a risk of fatal or further disabling complications. The only viable path forward for Reyes is to travel to Mérida, Mexico, to receive specialized, advanced care that could give him a chance at regaining some quality of life. But the steep cost of this out-of-country treatment is far out of reach for the teen’s working-class family, leaving them trapped with no clear way to help their son.
In an emotional plea for community support, Reyes shared that he is exhausted by the endless days stuck lying on his back, and only wants the chance to get the bullet removed and rebuild his life. “I just want a little help to go outside so they can take out this bullet out of my back. I tired of laying on my back,” he said.
As of the latest update, Belizean law enforcement officials have not yet identified a clear motive for the shooting. Investigators working the case do not believe Reyes was the gunmen’s intended target, leaving the teen and his family to grapple with the reality that his life was destroyed by a random act of gang or criminal violence.
Tonight, News 5 Live will air an exclusive full interview at 6 p.m. local time, where Reyes and his mother, Kimberly Estero, will open up about the sudden tragedy and how they are coping with this permanent, life-altering change.