_{Photo: Gilda Abadi, victim}

by Kristen Ku

BELMOPAN, Mon. Apr. 8, 2024

A mother and her daughter are happy to be at home safe and sound tonight after facing a life-threatening situation on April 5, in Belmopan.

According to reports, 47-year-old Gilda Abadi and her teenage daughter were on their way back from her daughter’s football game on Friday night, and while walking through Independence Park, they were approached by a man wearing a hoodie who threatened to rob and harm them.

“He was walking in the middle of the walkway and then I said to my daughter, ‘Come to my right, give him space to go;’ but he refused to go on his side. So, he came towards my daughter, at very close range, and he grabbed something from behind and motioned after my daughter, and my daughter just went with her hands up high,” Abadi explained.

At this point, the single mother, holding her licensed firearm, pushed her daughter out of the way and warned the robber to “back off”. Ignoring her warnings and charging after her, Abadi said she was left with no other choice than to fire at the assailant, who was hit in the stomach and collapsed immediately to the ground.

“The lady took out her licensed firearm and ordered the person to stop, and he made a move towards her, and she fired one single shot at him with her licensed firearm, causing injuries to his stomach region,” confirmed Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams.

Abadi immediately called the police for assistance, but when they delayed in arriving, she decided to run home for safety while the assailant ran off into the park.

While the minor only complained of pain in her ear due to the gunshot’s loud ring, Abadi, who is also a businesswoman and a baseball coach, explained that after this encounter, the first time someone attempted to rob her, and in her own neighborhood, she no longer feels safe.

“I don’t feel safe now that I have to be looking over my shoulder every time. And it’s the saddest part, because Belmopan used to be safe. I run four o ‘clock in the morning. Now, do I feel safe doing that? No,” Abadi said.

Abadi is urging the Belmopan City Council to invest in better lighting throughout the city and foster an improved community relationship in order to prevent similar incidents from taking place.

Police have since apprehended the assailant who has since been identified as 49-year-old Ronald Gibson. He was taken to the Western Regional Hospital where he remains in a stable condition. “It is our hope that once he is released from the hospital that he’ll be charged for the crime of attempted robbery,” Williams stated.