A wave of deadly gun violence swept through Belize City on the evening of September 17, 2026, opening with the fatal shooting of a 43-year-old Honduran scrap gold buyer in the Faber’s Road area, and claiming two more lives in separate shooting incidents before the night concluded.
The first attack unfolded just after 6 p.m. local time on Terrylee Crawford Street, where Denny (also documented as Dennis/Denny Guevara) Gurvara, a Honduran national working as a traveling jeweler, was gunned down moments after arriving in the neighborhood. Senior law enforcement officials with Belize’s National Crimes Investigation Branch have outlined the early details of the incident, confirming that responding emergency crews rushed the wounded jeweler to the country’s main public care facility, Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH), where he was pronounced dead from multiple gunshot wounds.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Hilberto Romero, head of the national crime investigation unit, told reporters that initial probe indicates Gurvara had arranged to meet an unidentified individual at the Terrylee Crawford Street location for a scrap gold transaction. According to Romero’s account of witness statements, after the two parties met, the unknown suspect demanded money from Gurvara before opening fire, striking the jeweler multiple times.
Local residents who spoke to reporters offered additional context about the moments leading up to the killing. They confirmed Gurvara was not a resident of the neighborhood, and had been going door-to-door earlier that evening asking local residents if they had any scrap gold or pre-owned jewelry to sell. Witnesses say the jeweler had been at the meeting spot outside a local shop for no more than five minutes when the attacker approached and opened fire.
In the wake of the killing, investigators have launched a full probe into the incident, with officers currently canvassing the surrounding area to collect surveillance camera footage, interview additional witnesses, and track down any forensic evidence that could help identify and locate the shooter. Authorities have not yet released any information about possible suspects or motives beyond the initial account of the attempted robbery.
The killing of Gurvara marked the start of a bloody night of gun violence in Belize District, with two more men killed in separate shooting incidents across the area before midnight. No additional details about those later fatal attacks have been released as part of the initial reporting on the first killing.