Authorities in Belize have launched dual investigations into two back-to-back shooting incidents that rocked the Stann Creek District on the evening of June 2, 2026, leaving three people wounded and local communities on edge.
The first violent incident unfolded just after 6:30 p.m. in the quiet residential area of Pomona Village, where 25-year-old Orlando Acosta and a 16-year-old minor were caught in crossfire. According to initial police accounts, two motorcycles rode up to a group of people gathered in the area. A passenger seated on one of the two bikes pulled out a loaded firearm and fired multiple rounds into the crowd, striking both Acosta and the teenager.
In an official briefing on the case, Assistant Superintendent of Police Stacy Smith shared preliminary investigative conclusions, noting that law enforcement does not believe the two injured people were the attackers’ intended targets. “We are not of the view that any of the injured individuals was the target, but another individual that was in the group,” Smith stated. Investigators have already collected surveillance footage from nearby businesses and residential cameras in the Pomona Village area, and teams are currently reviewing the recordings to identify suspects and piece together a timeline of the attack. As of the latest update, no clear motive has been confirmed, and no arrests have been made in connection with the first shooting.
Roughly two and a half hours after the first incident, at approximately 9:00 p.m., a second shooting broke out in the Rivas Estate neighborhood, located near Dangriga Town. The victim in this attack was identified as 19-year-old Jason Marin, a resident of Dangriga. Police reports indicate Marin was in the process of entering a private property when a vehicle pulled up alongside him. An individual inside the vehicle exited and fired multiple gunshots, hitting Marin before fleeing the scene.
Smith added context to the second incident, revealing that the property Marin was entering has been linked to prior law enforcement activity. “The property Marin was entering had previously been the subject of police operations related to drugs and weapons,” Smith confirmed. As of the latest update, Marin is being treated at a local hospital, where his condition is listed as critical but stable.
Both active shooting investigations remain ongoing, with law enforcement appealing to any members of the public who were in the area on the night of the incidents and have information about the attacks to contact the Stann Creek District police station to assist with the case.