A violent shooting on the tranquil island of Caye Caulker escalated into a dramatic police pursuit on Thursday evening, disrupting the peaceful atmosphere of the Belizean paradise. The incident commenced at approximately 8:30 PM when gunfire erupted along Parrot Fish Street, prompting immediate police response.
Upon arrival, law enforcement officers witnessed a golf cart carrying three male occupants accelerating away from the scene, initiating a high-speed chase through the village’s narrow thoroughfares. During the pursuit, one individual leaped from the moving vehicle, discarded a suspicious object into a roadside garbage container, and swiftly reboarded the fleeing cart.
The trail ultimately led authorities to the Caye Caulker Health Center, where they discovered 22-year-old Dominic Castillo suffering from a gunshot wound to his back. Medical personnel provided emergency treatment at the local clinic before transferring the victim to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in Belize City for advanced medical attention.
Police investigators subsequently retrieved the discarded item, identified as a 9mm Taurus pistol loaded with seven live ammunition rounds. Law enforcement officials have detained a 29-year-old local resident in connection with the weapon’s possession. Additional forensic evidence collected near Hawkbill Street, including seven spent shell casings and blood traces, suggests a more complex sequence of events than initially apparent. The investigation continues as authorities work to reconstruct the precise circumstances surrounding this violent disturbance.