_{Photo: Clive Baizar, deceased}

by Charles Gladden

BELIZE CITY, Mon. Jan. 20, 2025

An argument between two members of the Belize Defence Force (BDF) led to one of its members being killed and another being injured on Sunday, January 19, at the Crique Sarco Patrol Base in the Toledo District.

Initial reports indicate that before 9:00 p.m. on Sunday when fourteen members of the army’s military patrol and a sole police officer were on the veranda of a concrete building and were on their phones, an argument broke out between the deceased, Private Clive Baizar, and another soldier.

During the argument, the other soldier, identified as Lance Corporal Alfredo Robinson, pulled out his issued .223 rifle and fired several shots at Private Baizar, fatally wounding him and injuring another soldier. According to Brigadier General Azariel Loria, Commandant of the BDF, the incident is believed to have been caused by heavy joking that went too far.

“The Lance Corporal decided to go inside the building; he got a big smack from Private Baizar, allegedly using some words by [telling him to go] inside and leave me alone. Because of the bantering… I think that the bantering was getting heavier, but the smack -– it could be a sucker punch -– was too hard, and that got to the Lance Corporal. He went inside the building, cocked his weapon, and came outside and pulled the trigger,” he said.

When police arrived at the scene, they discovered Baizar with multiple gunshot injuries, including one to the back of his head, which exited above his right eye, as well as injuries to his left and right shoulders and his right cheek. The deceased Baizar lay on the floor face-down in a pool of blood. He was wearing a green army T-shirt and black shorts, and there was a black slipper on his left foot.

Eight casings of .223 ammunition and one live round were found at the scene, along with a black Samsung cell phone belonging to the deceased. His body was taken to the Punta Gorda Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

“Incidents like this do happen across the militaries around the world, and we have to find a way through leadership and discipline to minimize the risks or the situations from happening,” said Brigadier General Loria.

While an investigation is still underway, Brigadier General Loria said that they have not ruled out the possibility that the influence of alcohol might have led to the incident, and he noted that while all the other soldiers/officers in the group provided blood samples, Robinson did not.

“We requested, as part of the regulations, that they provide blood specimens and samples to which all but one complied. So, the only person who did not comply is the prime suspect in the fatality. But all others have been tested; their blood was taken or withdrawn by a qualified doctor in Punta Gorda, and the samples were brought to Belize City for tests,” he said.

“… He [Robinson] is reserved in nature. He likes to seclude himself, and is affectionately called ‘Viejo’, which means ‘old man’ in Spanish, because of [how] he acts. So, we don’t know what it is, and we don’t know at this point if he was consuming alcohol. He was not… because the other 13 elements volunteered to provide their blood sample. Maybe he was shell-shocked when he was asked to do so. We don’t know; and as a matter of fact, he was not talking until after lunch today, when he perhaps realized the magnitude of what had transpired, and started to worry about it,” Brigadier General Loria added.

The other soldier wounded during the same incident is currently in stable condition, and is receiving medical treatment at the Punta Gorda Hospital with two gunshot wounds. Baizar has been serving with the BDF for over 20 years.

Robinson has been detained, but no charges have been levied as yet.