A shocking broad-daylight shooting has shaken the community of Santa Elena, leaving two men dead and triggering an immediate manhunt that has resulted in two detentions, law enforcement officials confirmed. The brazen attack unfolded just before midday on Saturday, August 29, in a residential area along George Price Avenue.
The two victims have been identified as 35-year-old Rasheed Hyde, a resident of Georgeville, and 36-year-old Gil Pineda, who called Dangriga home. According to Assistant Superintendent of Police Stacy Smith, the pair were standing in front of a private residence when a gunman inside a passing Nissan Rogue opened fire. Both men were struck by gunfire and rushed to the nearby Western Regional Hospital for emergency care. Hyde did not survive his wounds and died shortly after arriving at the medical facility, while Pineda succumbed to his injuries the following day, Sunday.
Hyde’s aunt, Andrea Westby, shared details of her last encounter with her nephew, saying she had spoken to him around 11 a.m. that same Saturday while he was working at a local car wash. Less than 60 minutes later, the family received the devastating news that he had been shot and hospitalized. Westby told reporters that in recent years, Hyde had turned his life around, built a stable life with his wife and two children, and earned an honest living through farming and pig breeding. A lover of animals and horses, he had been looking forward to taking part in the country’s upcoming September national celebrations, including riding in the planned holiday parade. For the grieving family, the only hope now is that investigators will identify and prosecute those responsible, Westby said: “We just hope that they would find out the who, and we get some kind of justice.”
What makes the incident even more disturbing for local leaders is the timing: the shooting occurred on the exact same day that hundreds of Santa Elena residents joined a Peace Walk organized to push back against rising violent crime across the municipality. Earl Trapp, mayor of the combined San Ignacio and Santa Elena municipality, said the double murder has left the community deeply concerned, as the area has long been considered one of the safest in the nation. Trapp suggested the violence may stem from conflicts that extend beyond local control, but called on national law enforcement agencies to take more aggressive action to curb bloodshed. “I would hope that the relevant authorities, which is more the police department, security, would take some harder actions because I think everything trickles down,” he explained.
Beyond calling for stronger law enforcement action, Trapp urged local residents and business owners to play a more active role in supporting criminal investigations, including voluntarily providing surveillance footage to police when requested. He added that alongside the police-led Peace Walk, the Santa Elena Town Council has planned a community-wide day of prayer to bring residents together and collective call for a safer, more peaceful future for the municipality. As of Monday, law enforcement officials have impounded the Nissan Rogue linked to the shooting and are continuing their inquiry into the motive and circumstances of the attack.