A shocking ambush attack targeting an off-duty Belizean police officer has launched a full criminal investigation in the Cayo District, law enforcement officials confirmed this week. The incident unfolded Saturday night along a remote stretch of road in the Young Gal area, located just outside Teakettle Village, when the officer identified as Eric Usher, a member of the department’s Special Patrol Unit, was traveling alone through the sparsely populated region.
According to official accounts from the National Crimes Investigation Branch, two unidentified suspects emerged from thick vegetation lining the roadway as Usher passed, with one assailant immediately opening fire on the officer’s moving vehicle. Reacting quickly to the sudden attack, Usher sped away from the ambush site to safety, only discovering after escaping that multiple rounds had struck his vehicle, leaving several clear bullet holes across the car’s body.
ACP Hilberto Romero, head of the National Crimes Investigation Branch, shared details of the ongoing probe with reporters, noting that investigators are leaving no stone unturned in their effort to identify and apprehend the attackers. At present, the investigation team is conducting a thorough review of all available evidence from the scene, and plans to carry out formal ballistics testing to corroborate the officer’s account and trace potential links to the weapons used in the attack.
Key investigative details have also emerged that complicate the early stages of the case. Usher was off duty at the time of the shooting, and was in possession of his personally licensed firearm; that weapon has now been seized by investigators for forensic testing to rule out any alternative accounts of the gunfire. Compounding the challenge for investigators, the Young Gal area where the attack occurred is described as a dark, isolated stretch of road with no public or private surveillance cameras in place, eliminating the possibility of capturing footage of the suspects or their vehicle prior to the ambush.
As of Tuesday, no suspects have been named in connection with the attack, and investigators have not released any information about potential motives for the shooting. Romero confirmed that the investigation remains active and ongoing, with updates to be released as additional evidence is processed.