标签： Belize

In a stunning development out of Belize District, two men charged in the high-profile 2022 shooting death of Winston Joseph James, widely known by his street name “Tanga,” have been released from custody after prosecutors discontinued their case. The sudden termination of proceedings comes after the prosecution’s critical star witness vanished without a trace just days before the start of the long-awaited trial.

The accused—23-year-old Azzane Domingo and 36-year-old Eustace Lewis, both linked to the George Street area—were formally served with a nolle prosequi, a legal order halting prosecution, shortly before 10 a.m. on September 29, 2026. Domingo was identified early in the investigation as the suspected gunman, while Lewis was only charged in 2024 on abetment to murder charges connected to the killing. The case also included an attempted murder charge for the attack on James’ girlfriend, who was in the vehicle with him during the shooting.

Authorities launched a urgent five-day search for the key witness, Shemaud “Sabe” Nunez, after he failed to appear for court. The search was triggered last Thursday, when Crown prosecutors first requested a delay from Justice Candace Nanton to locate Nunez. Despite exhaustive efforts by law enforcement, no trace of the witness has been found, leaving the prosecution without its core evidence to secure a conviction.

It is important to note that a nolle prosequi is not equivalent to a formal acquittal. Under Belizean legal rules, prosecutors retain the right to reactivate the criminal charges against both men at any point in the future if new evidence, including the reappearance of Nunez, becomes available.

The tragic killing that sparked the case took place on January 21, 2022. James was driving a Nissan Pathfinder with his girlfriend when multiple gunshots struck his vehicle, killing him at the scene. The disabled car ultimately crashed into a building located near a local canal. While surveillance video of the area exists, it has proven insufficient to secure a conviction on its own. The footage only captures James leaving his attorney’s office on Church Street, crossing a nearby bridge, and entering his vehicle moments before the shooting began. The significant distance between the camera’s position and the actual shooting site means even enhanced video analysis cannot definitively confirm the shooter’s identity.

On a Sunday night in late September 2026, a promising young sporting talent in Belize was killed in a targeted shooting that has left the nation’s tight-knit basketball community and the victim’s family engulfed in grief. Twenty-five-year-old Antonio Flowers, a celebrated elite player hailing from Dangriga, was ambushed from behind while walking on a side street near Antelope Street Extension in Belize City. According to official law enforcement details, an unidentified male assailant wearing a black shirt and a face covering followed Flowers before opening fire at close range, striking the athlete multiple times. Though Flowers attempted to flee the attack, he collapsed on the street nearby and succumbed to his injuries before medical personnel could save him.

Authorities have launched a full investigation into the fatal shooting, working to identify the attacker and uncover the motive behind the killing. ACP Hilberto Romero, head of Belize’s National Crimes Investigation Branch, confirmed that law enforcement is currently reviewing all surveillance footage captured by cameras in the Antelope Extension area to generate leads and identify the suspect. As of the latest update, no suspects have been taken into custody, and no clear motive has been publicly confirmed.

The victim’s mother, Tanya Lobo, recalled the devastating moment she received news of her son’s death. She was at home when her younger daughter called with the alert, urging her to rush to the shooting site. By the time Lobo arrived, crowds had already gathered, and witnesses confirmed Flowers had been shot. Lobo was later called to identify her son’s body after police confirmed he had died from his injuries.

Beyond his athletic talent, Flowers is remembered by his community as a warm, joyful presence that lifted up everyone around him. As an Independence Day baby born September 21, Flowers grew up known for his playful sense of humor and ability to make any gathering lighter. Carolyn Jang, an executive member of the Griga Dream Ballers basketball program, told reporters that Flowers was a core member of the local basketball community, serving as the team’s star sixth man who consistently stepped up off the bench to secure wins for the team. Off the court, he turned routine team workouts into fun events and made a point of motivating teammates to perform their best. “No matter what happens with the team, he was always there to motivate everyone to let them do better on game days,” Jang said. “Everybody’s just remembering him as that person who was always there to make us smile and to push us.”

Tributes and condolence messages have flooded in from across Belize’s sporting community, with friends, opponents, and fans sharing memories of Flowers’ kindness and competitive spirit. The killing marks yet another senseless loss of life to gun violence in the country, leaving another family shattered as investigators work to deliver answers and justice.

In the pre-dawn hours of Sunday, September 28, 2026, a routine response to a neighborhood alarm erupted into a violent exchange of gunfire in Ladyville, Belize, leaving a 30-year-old man wounded and law enforcement authorities working to untangle the details of the botched break-in attempt.

The incident began when nearby residents alerted police to two individuals acting suspiciously and attempting to force entry into a private residence on Compassion Lane. Senior Superintendent Christopher Noble, a high-ranking local police official, was the first to reach the scene and confronted the pair as they pried at the property’s bedroom window with a crowbar, damaging the home’s external burglar bars.

According to official accounts from the National Crimes Investigation Branch, when Noble ordered the men to stop, one of the suspects drew a weapon and fired multiple shots in the senior officer’s direction. Noble took cover immediately before returning fire at the suspects. Remarkably, the senior officer emerged from the encounter unharmed, but both suspects managed to flee the scene before additional units arrived.

When forensic teams processed the site, they recovered the abandoned crowbar left wedged against the targeted window, a section of cut burglar bars that had been dislodged and fallen to the ground, and multiple spent bullet casings scattered across the residential property.

The investigation expanded hours later when 30-year-old Devon Grant of Belize City arrived at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) seeking medical treatment for gunshot wounds. Police have not yet officially linked Grant to the Ladyville burglary attempt, but investigators are working to confirm his connection to the incident. As of the latest update, Grant remains in stable condition at the hospital, per Assistant Commissioner of Police Hilberto Romero, head of the National Crimes Investigation Branch.

“On Sunday around four a.m. police responded to a shooting at Compassion Lane in Ladyville,” Romero stated in an official briefing. “Upon the arrival they received information from a senior officer in the area who reported he responded to a burglary in progress where he saw two male persons armed with crowbars. He shouted at them to stop. Thereafter, one of the male persons fired shots towards his direction. He then took cover and returned fire. Thereafter, a male person showed up at the KHMH with gunshot injuries. He was identified as Devon Grant of Belize City. We are carrying out an investigation into this report. The scene was processed where several expended shells were found. Grant remains in stable condition at the KHMH. The crowbars were recovered, expanded shells and there are damages on the window and the door.”

The unfolding incident has already drawn comparisons to two previous fatal police shootings in the Ladyville area. Back in 2013, law enforcement officers fatally shot Travis McKay and Ryan Lozano in separate incidents after the pair were allegedly caught attempting to steal private property. Local community observers have noted the parallels between the older cases and the current shooting, though investigations into the 2026 encounter are still in early stages.

This report is adapted from a transcript of an evening television news broadcast, with all original statements preserved in their official context. Authorities have asked anyone with additional information about the Compassion Lane burglary attempt or the identity of the second suspect to contact the Belize District Police Department immediately.

A long-simmering land conflict in western Belize has erupted into violence once again, leading law enforcement officials to charge local figure Dan Lopez in the shooting of property manager Alfred Mahler. The latest incident dates back to last week, when Mahler was wounded while carrying out a routine inspection of land under his oversight. He has since remained hospitalized, with medical teams confirming he is in stable condition as of the latest updates.

Lopez’s arrest thrusts him back into public attention, marking at least the second time this year he has faced serious criminal charges tied to the ongoing dispute over Maya Ranch lands. Earlier in 2026, he was charged with attempted murder following a confrontation with Police Sergeant Dalon Kelly during a law enforcement operation on the contested property. Police have maintained Lopez opened fire on Kelly during an attempted arrest, but Lopez’s legal team has pushed back against that narrative, arguing the officer’s injury occurred when officers attempted to seize Lopez’s legally licensed firearm.

This is far from the first time tensions over the Maya Ranch property have flared. Lopez has been a central figure in repeated clashes over ownership and access to the land for years, with prior incidents involving confrontations with other land managers and forestry department officials. The persistent conflict has required repeated police intervention and spawned multiple court proceedings dating back long before the 2026 shooting of Mahler.

In an on-the-record confirmation with local journalists, ACP Hilberto Romero, head of Belize’s National Crime Investigation Unit, outlined the charges against Lopez: attempted murder, endangerment of harm, and use of deadly force to inflict harm. “And reference the shooting of Alfred Mahler, we have since arrested and charged Dan Lopez for the crimes of attempt murder, danger of harm, and use of deadly means of harm. A point 223 rifle was recovered, which was the weapon used,” Romero stated in the televised interview, confirming that Lopez was arraigned in court earlier the same day the announcement was made.

Notably, Mahler’s family has pushed back on any implication that he is entangled in the ownership dispute, emphasizing that he was working purely as a hired manager contracted to oversee the property and had no personal stake in the conflict over the land’s title or access.

This report is adapted from a live evening television news broadcast transcript, with original Kriol language quotes standardized to conventional English spelling for clarity.

A shocking daylight carjacking carried out by two armed men has rattled Belize, after the assailants ambushed a local businessman on the Philip Goldson Highway just outside Sandhill Village, according to Belizean law enforcement authorities. The violent incident, which unfolded on September 26, 2026, represents an unusually bold criminal act on a major Belizean highway, and investigators are still working to track down the two attackers who remain at large as of Monday.\n\nAssistant Commissioner of Police Hilberto Romero, head of the National Crimes Investigation Branch, confirmed the details of the terrifying attack in a press briefing. The victim, identified as Sandeep Kumar, told police he was traveling along the highway when another vehicle began tailoring his car, and he soon heard gunshots fired in his direction. The suspects’ vehicle then pulled directly in front of Kumar, forcing him to stop. Two armed men exited their vehicle, struck Kumar in the head with a firearm, dragged him out of his own car, and fled the scene in the stolen vehicle heading toward Belize City.\n\nResponding officers launched an immediate manhunt and search operation, and recovered both the stolen car and the suspects’ getaway vehicle abandoned in the Maxboro area shortly after the attack. Forensic investigators have already processed both vehicles for DNA, fingerprint, and other forensic evidence, Romero confirmed. The getaway car, which belongs to a rental company based in Belize’s Cayo District, has already been formally identified by authorities, though the two suspects remain missing.\n\nLaw enforcement has issued a public warning that the two attackers are considered armed and extremely dangerous, and urged residents across Belize District to remain vigilant in the coming days as the investigation moves forward. Community members are asked to contact Belizean police immediately if they observe any suspicious activity in their neighborhoods or have information that could help lead to the arrest of the suspects.\n\nWhile highway carjackings remain rare in Belize, investigators say they are working to determine whether this brazen public attack signals a worrying shift in the pattern of criminal activity across the country. This report is adapted from a transcribed evening television news broadcast originally published online.