A Pomona-based cattle farmer in Belize’s Stann Creek District is facing a devastating sequence of events: he was shot on his own property, lost his beloved dog in the incident, and now has been placed behind bars awaiting trial. Richard Cal, 52, was arraigned on August 14, 2026, on three felony counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, and has been remanded to Belize Central Prison ahead of his next court date scheduled for November 17.
Cal maintains that he only discharged his weapon after being fired on by three unidentified men who later revealed they were plainclothes police officers conducting an undisclosed operation on his farm. To date, law enforcement officials have not provided any public explanation for why the plainclothes officers entered Cal’s property, leaving his family with no answers about the chaotic confrontation that left Cal wounded and his dog dead.
In a phone interview with local reporters, Cal’s wife spoke through tears about the chaos her family has endured in recent weeks, emphasizing that her husband remains in fragile health while recovering from his gunshot injury. “Thursday they came for my husband again while he was resting and recovering at home,” she explained. “They took him back to the station, charged him with three counts of aggravated assault, and by the end of the day he was arraigned and remanded. I don’t understand how they can ignore how bad his condition is right now. He can’t move on his own, can’t use the bathroom by himself – who is going to help him in Hattieville Prison?”
The financial and emotional toll on the Cal family has already been catastrophic. The farmer’s wife confirmed that the couple’s four children have been forced to suspend their schooling, as all available family funds have been redirected to cover Cal’s hospital surgery and ongoing medical costs. The family is now demanding answers about the unauthorized police entry into their property, and justice for the shooting death of their dog and the harm done to Cal. “We haven’t gotten a single explanation from police about why those men were on our land that day,” she added. “We want answers, and we want justice for all of this – for Richard, for our dog, for our four kids who have had their lives turned upside down.”
Cal entered a formal plea of not guilty to all three charges at his arraignment. As of press time, Belizean law enforcement officials have not responded to repeated requests for comment on the incident, or clarification of the purpose of the plainclothes operation on Cal’s farm. This report is based on a transcript of a local television evening newscast.