A quiet evening in Pomona Village turned chaotic in a matter of seconds and now, a family is holding on to hope as one young man fights to recover. Gunmen on motorcycles pulled up outside a local business just after six-thirty on Tuesday and opened fire, leaving twenty-five-year-old Orlando Acosta and a sixteen-year-old boy injured before speeding off. In the aftermath, loved ones are rallying around Acosta, urging the public to help them get him the care he urgently needs. News Five’s Britney Gordon spoke with his family today as they shared an update on his condition and their plea for support.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
At just twenty-five, Orlando Acosta was building a name for himself on the football field, a standout player for Pomona Impact with big dreams of taking his talent to the next level. But tonight, that journey has been suddenly put on hold. A shooting earlier this week has left him sidelined, and his family says they’re still struggling to come to terms with how quickly everything changed.
Karen Westby, Sister of Shooting Victim
“We just got a phone call stating that he got shot, and we immediately take him to the Southern Regional Hospital, and that’s where he currently is right now in stable condition. But from what they tell us, they said that they can’t really do anything much here, so we’ll have to take him abroad.”
Beyond the football field, Acosta embraces the outdoors, spending his free time kayaking and working with Logan’s Ultimate Adventure Sea Tours. His family is thankful he survived; but his sister, Karen Westby, says it’s heartbreaking watching him recover, unsure if he’ll ever return to the life he loves.
Karen Westby
“So his spine. His spine and his pelvic fractured. So it’s very heartbreaking.”
As costs continue to rise, Acosta’s family is now turning to the public, asking for help to cover his medical expenses. His brother, Errol Acosta, says the family is urgently trying to get him overseas for the specialized care he needs.
Errol Acosta, Brother of Shooting Victim
“That is the One priority right now to see if we can gather some funds and go abroad now to see if we can get help outside because from what we’ve been advised from the surgeon is that there’s not much they can do here in Belize. So we need to see how we can either go to Guatemala or maybe Mexico side.”
Acosta and a sixteen-year-old boy were the only victims of the shooting; however, police say they do not believe they were the intended targets. His family is sure that he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Errol Acosta
“To our knowledge, you know, he’s basically just, you know, in the village everybody is like friends and teammates. So we don’t believe that it has anything to do with him. I believe it’s just the wrong place at the wrong time, no?”
The family’s priority is to get Orlando the care he needs so that he can get the back on his feet and continue doing the things that he loves. Britney Gordon for News Five.
For those willing to assist, the family can be contacted at the number 626-3280.
Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.
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