In the early hours of July 13, 2026, a brazen drive-by shooting shook Belize City, leaving one woman fighting for her life and launching a wide-ranging law enforcement investigation into the unprovoked attack. According to Assistant Commissioner of Police Hilberto Romero, head of the National Crimes Investigation Branch, the incident unfolded just after 1:10 a.m. along Youth for the Future Drive, when three unidentified assailants approached a pickup truck carrying three people from the riverside, opened fire, and fled the scene before crossing the nearby bridge.\n\nThe vehicle, a black Nissan Titan, was being driven by local businessman Austin Underwood. Riding alongside Underwood were his common-law wife, 51-year-old Doris Grant, and 31-year-old Andres Orosco, a Colombian national who was also in the truck at the time of the attack. Grant bore the brunt of the gunfire: she was struck multiple times, with wounds to her right upper arm, abdomen, and breast. As of the official police briefing held the same morning, Romero confirmed that Grant remains in critical condition receiving medical care. Neither Underwood nor Orosco have been reported injured in the attack.\n\nFollowing the shooting, forensic investigators processed the scene and recovered approximately 30 spent bullet casings, all fired from a 9-millimeter pistol. As of the latest update, law enforcement has not taken any suspects into custody, and investigators have not yet confirmed a clear motive for the public shooting.\n\nRomero told reporters that investigators are currently working through multiple avenues of inquiry, most notably reviewing surveillance camera footage from the surrounding area to identify and track the three attackers. In addition to the active manhunt, the department has mobilized additional resources to increase uniformed patrols across all neighborhoods of Belize City. The expanded presence is designed to prevent potential follow-up violence or retaliatory attacks linked to the shooting. “We have several operations ongoing at this time to prevent any form of retaliation,” Romero said in his statement to media.\n\nThe shooting marks the latest violent incident to impact Belize City, prompting a swift law enforcement response to reassure residents and curb potential further unrest. Investigators have not released additional details about possible connections to organized crime or prior disputes, saying the probe remains in its early active phase.