Armando Valladarez, 53, a resident of Santa Martha in the Orange Walk District, is dead after he was blasted by a shotgun he was carrying on his bicycle, which fell and discharged, the pellets hitting him in the chest. The death has been attributed to “negligent discharge due to error of drills,” and police have declared his death an accidental one.

Valladarez reportedly fell off his bicycle because of the terrible condition of the road he was on, and it was the overturning of his bicycle, and the consequent dropping of the gun, that led to the fatal accident.

The incident occurred about 8:00 Friday morning while Valladarez was on a hunting tour about 10 miles north of Santa Martha. Valladarez’s partner, who was with him, alerted people in the area, who called police, who found him lying face-up with gunshot wounds to the upper part of the chest. He was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.

Inspector Julius Cantun, Deputy Commander of Orange Walk police, said that Valladarez and his friend were riding separate bicycles about 100 feet apart, with Valladarez riding in front.

Cantun said that there was no indication of foul play.

However, it is prohibited to travel with a loaded shotgun. It is a safety violation. The shotgun should be carried unloaded, and in the case of single action shotguns, it should be carried in the “broken,” or distended condition. The gun should only be loaded if the owner is going to shoot, and after firing, the gun should again be unloaded, and carried in the distended position, but never loaded.