by Charles Gladden

BELIZE CITY, Mon. May 22, 2023

A taxi driver was gunned down a stone’s throw away from his home in the Lake Independence area of Belize City on Sunday, May 21. The victim was identified as Cecil Buckley, 41, of Ordonez Street.

According to reports, Buckley was relaxing under a hammock at a residence next to his home minutes before 6:00 p.m. when two male persons, who were armed, approached him from through the bushes behind the residence and blasted a barrage of gunshots in his direction.

Buckley ran for safety, but was hit in the neck, abdomen, and right arm area, then he collapsed on the street. He was later transported to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

The two gunmen escaped after committing the crime, but police discovered two expended shells at the scene. According to ACP Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander for Eastern Division of the Police Department, they are seeking one person in connection with the murder. That person is reportedly said to be a 16-year-old minor.

Buckley’s death is the second murder to have occurred on that street in the month of May. The first was the killing of Adrian Pook, who was gunned down outside his home during the Labor Day weekend.

Reports suggest that Buckley’s death is a result of mistaken identity in the ongoing rivalry between groups in the area.

ACP Romero noted that Buckley is not known to police, and the only reported incident in which he had been involved was a scuffle he got into with another taxi driver in 2018, but he had claimed that he was solely defending himself.