Police confirm shooting as accidental in the death of Andy Suazo

Police in the Cayo District say they have made progress in their investigation into the fatal shooting of a young man that occurred yesterday afternoon and have since determined that the incident was the result of an accidental discharge.  The victim, twenty-one-year-old Andy Suazo, was taken to the Western Regional Hospital yesterday afternoon with a gunshot wound to the stomach.  Initial reports indicate that shortly after three-thirty p.m., a man and a woman arrived at the hospital in an SUV transporting Suazo. Hospital personnel were reportedly informed that he had accidentally shot himself. Investigators later observed a burn mark on the body, suggesting that the firearm had been in direct contact with the victim when it discharged.  Police say the shooting occurred in Camalote Village, though officers initially launched a death investigation in order to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the incident.  However, updated findings from investigators now indicate that the fatal injury resulted from an accidental shooting. Police say Suazo had reportedly been handling or playing with a firearm when a bullet became lodged in the chamber. The weapon discharged when he attempted to tuck it into the waistband of his pants, causing the fatal injury.  Authorities say Suazo was transported to the hospital by his mother and a friend, but he later succumbed to his injuries.