In northern Belize, police in Corozal District are investigating a brazen murder that has left one family grieving tonight. Fifty-five-year-old Santos Antonio Escobar was gunned down while socializing with relatives in front of their home in Corozal Town. News Five’s Shane Williams has more from the scene.
Shane Williams
Shane Williams, Reporting
Here in Corozal Town, police are investigating the fatal shooting of 55-year-old Santos Antonio Escobar. Investigators say he was socializing with family on 5th Street North Tuesday night when a lone gunman approached and opened fire. Escobar was taken to the Corozal Community Hospital, where he later died from multiple gunshot wounds. Police are now working to determine a motive and identify the shooter.
Stacy Smith
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer
“The officers were advised that the shooting victim was rushed to the hospital for medical attention. Officers visited both the scene of the incident and the hospital. What the investigation has so far revealed is that on a mentioned date and time, Mr. Escobar was along with two other persons socializing in front of a residence when a male person approached them and fired several shots. Whilst Mr. Escobar was injured and later succumbed to that injury, the two other people escaped unscathed. We have retrieved a number of data footages that we are hoping to be of assistance in the ongoing investigation. No motive has been established so far.”
The violence on Fifth Street North hasn’t faded with the headlines. Walk down the alley and the aftermath is still there, dark blood stains on the ground and bullet holes ripped through the fence where Escobar had been standing, spending time with his family. Neighbors say the shooting has left them shaken, and worse yet, they insist this wasn’t an isolated incident, but the second burst of gun violence to hit the area in just a matter of weeks.
ASP Stacy Smith
“It’s an ongoing investigation as I stated. No motive has been established; however, we do know that there was another shooting incident at that very location on ninth of March. And on that occasion we did not get much from the person whose house was shot up. However, we are investigating to see if there’s any nexus between those two incidents.”
The quiet neighborhood is now marked by violence, as residents struggle to come to terms with what unfolded. The town council acknowledges residents’ fears, with Mayor Rigo Vellos saying the violence does not reflect the true Corozal.
Rigo Vellos
Rigo Vellos, Mayor, Corozal Town
“I want to share my condolences with their family. It’s. It’s a second shooting that we’re having in just some couple days, and I know the police department they’re doing their utmost best in trying to solve this problem or trying to react before these crimes happen. I really hope that people don’t get alarmed, because of these shootings. And I want to ask the young people out there to put down the gun mein. We all know what happens when you live by the gun. Eventually it comes back haunting you, and we don’t want that to happen to our young people. Right now it’s not the time for that. Let’s put down the gun and let’s communicate. Let’s work together as a community, as one municipality.”
Today police were canvassing the area, speaking with residents and looking for any surveillance footage that could help identify the gunman. But even as the investigation continues, no arrest will ease the pain of the Escobar family, who tonight remember him as a loving father, one who tried to stay away from trouble. Shane Williams for News Five.
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