Hope Creek Village Man Fatally Shot Outside His Home, Police Investigate Murder

A man was shot and killed last night in the Stann Creek District. Just after eight o’clock, 23-year-old Simon Arana Jr. was at a residence in Hope Creek Village when he came under fire. According to reports, Arana was targeted by two gunmen as he stood on the veranda of a house.  The men unleashed several rounds fatally hitting Arana. The resident was reportedly well-known in the community and worked for several years at the Institute for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ITVET) in Hope Creek. Love News spoke with Silvia Amaya, a resident of the area, who says she was shocked to learn of the homicide. 

Silvia Amaya, Resident: “I just heard two shots. But I did mention it to the police that was waiting for food and he said it wasn’t shot so he still said then I ran out when I got a call from my baby that was going to the shop then he told me yes somebody was shooting and he saw two men running and that is when I told the police and he went. That’s all I know. When I went over that’s when I saw somebody lying n the veranda and then I came right back to the business.”

Reporter: Did you know the person who was lying on the veranda ? Did you see him around the area ? 

Silvia Amaya, Resident: “I see him around the area.”

Reporter: So he’s a well known person ? 

Silvia Amaya, Resident: “Yes. All I heard was screaming. I heard screaming and the people that are renting the place there I saw people running and then the police checked them, the police went to the veranda and checked the person but the police took off. To me I don’t know to be honest I really feel nervous, I feel bad because of the situation that just happened a while ago. Because like we never saw something like this, well I never saw something like this happen before.”

Reporter: You don’t have situations like this here in Hope Creek.

Silvia Amaya, Resident: “Not that I’ve seen before, they had it around those areas but I never went that close to an incident like this before.”

Reporter: Okay so you’re kinda shaken up, you’re traumatized. 
Silvia Amaya, Resident: “Yeah, very.”

Our newsroom understands that Arana lived within shouting distance of the murder scene.