Local News

On Monday evening Love News reported that a Belize Defense Force volunteer soldier was shot dead. It happened at the Melitia Hall compound on the George Price Highway near its boundary with the Lord Ridge Cemetery.  When Love News arrived, the scenes of crimes personnel were still processing the scene and interviewing BDF volunteers who were present.  Today the Public Relations Officer for the Ministry of National Security, Raphael Martinez spoke with reporters.  Because the alleged shooter is only seventeen year old, and because he has not been charged, we will not release his identity. 

RAPHAEL MARTINEZ

Public Relations Officer

Ministry of National Security

Belize C.A.

“At approximately five o’clock in the evening Police visited the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where they saw Clifford Isaac Cruz, twenty one years old, volunteer soldier of the Belize Defense Force of number twenty five Brown Street, St. Martin’s area with an apparent gunshot wound to the stomach and an exit wound to the back.  Initial investigations reveal that Cruz was on duty at the Melitia Hall, BDF Camp located at one and a half miles on the George Price Highway along with a seventeen year old volunteer soldier also of the BDF Volunteer Element when they allegedly got into a misunderstanding which resulted in Rhaburn allegedly firing a single shot from his issued AR15 rifle that caused the fatal wound to Cruz.”

Martinez said that the police have since detained the seventeen year old volunteer soldier and answered our questions of whether seventeen year-old minors are allowed to become soldiers and to hold weapons with live rounds. 

RAPHAEL MARTINEZ

Public Relations Officer

Ministry of National Security

Belize C.A.

“Normally, it’s not very unusual to have volunteer soldiers with rounds.  As a matter of fact, he was on guard duty and normal guard duty entails that one has to be armed to perform his duty effectively.  There was some supervision but apparently, this guy (the accused) was actually on duty and he was the only person having a rifle and live ammunition at the time which is customary when they are performing guard duty.  We do have supervisors around but it all happened so quickly and by the time they got there the damage was done.  To my knowledge they had no previous conflicts.  The Defense Act actually states that from sixteen years old you can join the Belize Defense Force Volunteer Element which is completely legal.  We need to be very careful with this, as I mentioned before he is detained pending charges and the investigation is still underway and like you I am very interested to find out what will be the outcome of this case since it’s a military person involving someone who is under 18.  The military always has a very tight regimental system, this system that is being utilized has been used throughout as a tradition and has been tested through battle which is why the military system is always being used even when it comes to organizational behavior; it is actually patterned from the military system so it has been tested and so it’s not because of a system failure.”

Martinez says that the seventeen year-old could be charged with murder. 

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