CANCUN, Mexico. Wed. Aug. 25, 2021– Two of four Belizean males who recently moved to Mexico, purportedly to seek jobs, were shot to death over the last week, while another of the four was killed a month ago.
In the most recent incident, 21-year-old Norman Haulze lost his life in a shootout between Mexican authorities and a criminal group on Wednesday. Two of the persons involved in the shootout were captured, while two others were shot — with Haulze dying on the scene after receiving a fatal gunshot wound.
On Monday, August 23, two days before Haulze’s death, Ozmond “Ozzy” Melendez of San Andres Village was reportedly killed in a shooting that also occurred in Mexico. According to the Ambassador of Belize to Mexico, however, it has not been confirmed that the person who was killed on Monday was indeed Melendez, since some procedures need to be completed before the identity of the deceased man can be verified. Melendez’s family must pass documentation to Belize’s embassy in Mexico, which will then be forwarded to the authorities to officially confirm that the deceased is indeed Melendez.
While the circumstances surrounding the incident have not yet been communicated to Belize’s Ambassador to Mexico, Melendez’s mother, Nadine Magdaleno, said her son’s friend informed her of her son’s death and the circumstances which led to his demise. Magdaleno told local reporters, “One of his friends told me that he was at a house, probably socializing with girls, and then when he was coming out the house, they shot him in his chest. [Another Belizean] was there too. All of them were there at that same house. They say when the shooting happened, they had to run because they would have gotten shot too, so they couldn’t do anything, because they had already shot my son on the ground, so they ran.”
Melendez had reportedly gone to Mexico to search for a job, after reportedly saying that there was none available to him in Belize. According to his mother, he was planning to return home by the end of this month, but he lost his life shortly before he was expected to return.
Another Belizean man, Kyle Montero, lost his life in Mexico about a month ago. The circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear, but reports are that Montero was allegedly involved with a Mexican crime organization.
Both Haulze and Montero are notable members of the Taylor’s Alley Gang in Belize City. It is alleged that these young men were recruited by the Mexican cartel to serve as a part of an organized crime scheme. A local Mexican news outlet, Cancun Urbano, stated that the US’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is currently investigating the trafficking of illegal substances in this area and determining how youths are recruited to work for Mexican crime syndicates.