分类： society

A violent altercation between an off-duty Belize police officer and a member of the Belize Defence Force (BDF) has left both men receiving medical care at Belize City’s premier public medical facility, Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH). The clash unfolded in the early hours of Sunday in Lemonal Village, a quiet community located in Belize River Valley, after a verbal dispute escalated into physical harm, law enforcement officials confirmed.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Hilberto Romero, who leads the National Crimes Investigation Branch, outlined the sequence of events to reporters on Tuesday. Both men—Police Constable Pharon Musla of the Belize Police Department and BDF Lance Corporal Alexander Reynolds—were in attendance at a repast gathering shortly after midnight when tensions boiled over between them. All official accounts confirm that both personnel were off-duty at the time of the incident, and alcohol was involved in the gathering, per ACP Romero’s statement.

Initial accounts from the police investigation allege that Musla first inflicted a chop wound to Reynolds’ head. In response, Reynolds drew a personal firearm and fired multiple shots at Musla. There remains a discrepancy in early official accounts over the weapon’s specifications: ACP Romero stated the firearm was a privately licensed 9-millimeter pistol, while preliminary investigations conducted by the BDF have identified the weapon as a 0.380 caliber handgun registered to a female owner.

Following the exchange of violence, both injured men were rushed to KHMH for urgent medical intervention. Musla was admitted with multiple gunshot wounds, while Reynolds is being treated for the head injury he sustained during the confrontation. As of the latest update, both individuals are in stable condition, and a full joint investigation is underway to clarify the details of the incident and determine what criminal charges, if any, will be filed.

“They are both at the KHMH receiving treatment. They are both in stable condition,” Romero reiterated to reporters. “A thorough investigation will be carried out to determine charges.”

On a Saturday afternoon in June 2026, a brazen public shooting claimed the life of pregnant Jane Urbina at a bus terminal in Hattieville, Belize, leaving law enforcement authorities racing to track down two at-large attackers who officials confirm are residents of Belize City. Senior police officials have formally classified the mid-day killing as a pre-planned targeted attack, and are currently exploring a potential connection between the murder and the high-profile murder case against Urbina’s jailed brother, former Police Constable Lionel Urbina.

Per official accounts of the incident, the tragedy unfolded shortly after Jane Urbina and her mother completed a prison visit to see Lionel, who is currently being held on remand at Belize Central Prison as he awaits trial for the 2025 killing of 19-year-old Belizean-American Kevin DePaz in Caye Caulker. After leaving the correctional facility, the pair traveled back to Hattieville to wait for connecting transportation to their home in Santa Elena, when the attack unfolded in broad daylight in front of other passengers at the bus stop.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Hilberto Romero, head of Belize’s National Crimes Investigation Branch, confirmed the premeditated nature of the assault in a press briefing held the morning after the killing. “It was a targeted attack,” Romero stated. “They had specific information on where she was at the time.” Romero detailed the attackers’ approach: two individuals traveled to the bus stop on a single motorcycle, with one gunman dismounting the vehicle, approaching Urbina directly, and firing multiple shots that inflicted fatal wounds on the victim before the pair fled the scene.

Investigators also revealed that prior threats were made against Lionel Urbina before he was formally charged with DePaz’s murder, though Romero could not confirm whether any direct threats had been received by Jane Urbina or other members of the Urbina family ahead of the attack. Following the shooting, responding authorities initiated an immediate pursuit of the suspects, forcing the motorcycle off the public road roughly a quarter of a mile from the Hattieville bus stop. The two assailants managed to escape on foot, disappearing into dense vegetation near the roadway before law enforcement could apprehend them.

As of the latest official update, no arrests have been made in connection with Urbina’s killing, and the two suspects remain at large. Police have issued a public appeal for any witnesses with information on the identity or whereabouts of the attackers to come forward to assist with the ongoing investigation.

Along the George Price Highway in Belize, a major infrastructure upgrade aimed at building climate-resilient transportation has ignited sharp concern from nearby residents who warn the new design could bring more frequent and severe flooding to their low-lying properties.

The controversy centers on the new drainage systems being installed as part of the highway improvement works, which residents say sit far higher than the ground level of adjacent homes and residential lots in communities including Ladyville. Locals point out that when heavy rains arrive, elevated surrounding infrastructure will block water runoff from their yards, trapping floodwater in residential areas rather than diverting it away.

One resident who shared her perspective with local reporters questioned whether the project actually lives up to its “climate-resilient” labeling, asking, “My concern is that, is this really climate resilient, or is it going to flood my yard every single time it rains?” A second resident added that the retaining wall constructed for the upgraded highway is three blocks higher than her property elevation, leaving her unable to park a car in her yard and all but guaranteeing flooding in an area already known for its flood risk.

Julius Espat, Belize’s Minister of Infrastructure Development and Housing, has acknowledged the public pushback, explaining that the current elevation and drainage design is mandated by international financial institutions that provide funding for the upgrade project, which requires all works to meet strict climate-resilient building standards. Under these standards, the entire highway network is being elevated, with drainage channels deepened to improve long-term flood resistance for the road itself.

When asked how residential properties are expected to drain excess water if surrounding infrastructure sits at a higher elevation, Espat noted that the overall system is engineered to improve regional water flow, and ministry engineers will conduct individual assessments for each resident’s specific complaint. He did, however, admit that it may not be possible to resolve all concerns completely. “In all honesty, if you’re living in an area that’s lowland, it’s hard to 100% satisfy all of the queries,” he told local outlet News 5.

Espat also pointed out that many affected residential areas were developed in natural lagoon watersheds—zones that naturally function to hold excess floodwater during heavy rain events, and that increasing residential construction in these inherently flood-prone areas has compounded the challenge. Despite the difficulties, he emphasized that the government is not avoiding the issue: “We are doing our best. We will address every single situation. When the complaints come in, we don’t hide from it, we address it.”

Currently, ministry engineers alongside dedicated social outreach staff for the project are conducting one-on-one meetings with residents in Belize City and Ladyville to review and respond to their individual concerns. Espat added that most complaints emerge in the early stages of construction, when new road elevations are first put in place, framing the disruption as a growing pain of necessary progress. “Progress brings problems,” he said. “You’re making sure residents of the country can travel from one area to the next, and yes, you will have problems in other areas that we have to address. We can’t run away from it.”