BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Aug. 8, 2019– Brian Armstrong, 32, a stevedore of West Street, was working on a house in a yard in the CET site area of Gungulung, Lake Independence, when an unknown gunman approached and fired several times at him.

Armstrong was struck in the back of the head and back, and died almost immediately. The killer escaped.

The incident occurred at about 7:00 last evening. Police said that they found Armstrong lying on the ground in the yard with a gunshot wound. He was taken to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where he was declared dead officially.

An investigation into the shooting has begun, but so far, the killer has not been found and the motive for the murder is not known.

ACP Joseph Myvett said that Armstrong frequented the area. We were also informed that Armstrong had lived in the area before his family moved to West Street, and he came often to visit friends and relatives.

Police said that in June, Brian Armstrong was arrested for being a gang member of the Rocky Road Bloods. He was taken to the Belize City Magistrate’s Court, where he appeared before Senior Magistrate Aretha Ford and pleaded guilty to the charge.

His guilty plea was accepted and he was ordered to pay a fine of $3,500, which was to be paid by November 6, or he would have had to spend 3 years in jail.

Police said that they had conducted a surveillance of the area, and had spotted him in the company of other suspected gang members. Armstrong also reportedly had pictures on Facebook displaying gang insignias, and during their interview with him, he admitted to being a gang member.

Police, however, have not said if the murder was gang-related. One man has been detained pending investigation.

Armstrong’s mother said that he was shot from behind, and that the shooter was a coward. Brian, she said, was given a job to help construct the house because he wanted the money to help his young son.

She described him as a person with a calm, pleasant temperament who liked to give jokes.