On a quiet residential street in northern Belize’s Corozal District, a senseless act of gun violence has torn apart a local family and left an entire community on edge. On the evening of Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 55-year-old Santos Antonio Escobar was gunned down by an unidentified lone attacker while he gathered with close relatives outside his home on Corozal Town’s 5th Street North.
Local law enforcement launched an immediate investigation into the killing, one of two shootings at the same location in just six weeks. According to Assistant Superintendent Stacy Smith, the incident unfolded when a male suspect approached the group socializing outside the residence and fired multiple rounds directly at the gathering. Escobar suffered life-threatening injuries from the gunfire and was rushed immediately to Corozal Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. The two other family members with Escobar escaped the attack without physical harm.
Visible signs of the violence remain etched into the neighborhood days after the attack: dark, dried blood stains mark the ground where Escobar fell, and bullet holes still puncture the wooden fence behind which he stood. Local residents report being deeply unsettled by the attack, noting that this shooting is not an isolated act of violence—an earlier shooting at the exact same location occurred on March 9.
Investigators have not yet confirmed any connection between the two incidents, though they are actively exploring that line of inquiry. Thus far, no clear motive for the fatal attack has been established. Smith confirmed that law enforcement has recovered multiple surveillance footage recordings from the surrounding area, which investigators hope will yield critical clues to identify and locate the shooter. As of Thursday, police officers have been canvassing the neighborhood, conducting door-to-door interviews with residents and collecting any additional video evidence that could advance the case. No arrests have been announced.
Corozal Town Mayor Rigo Vellos publicly extended his deepest condolences to the Escobar family, who remembered Santos as a loving father who avoided conflict. Vellos emphasized that the recent wave of gun violence does not align with the community’s core values, and praised local law enforcement for their exhaustive efforts to solve the case and prevent future violence. The mayor issued a urgent plea to young people in the district to lay down their weapons, warning that “if you live by the gun, eventually it comes back haunting you.” He called for unified community action, urging residents to resolve conflicts through dialogue rather than violence to restore safety to Corozal Town’s neighborhoods.
This report from Shane Williams, News Five, Corozal Town.