_{Seferino Pop, deceased}

by Charles Gladden

COTTON TREE VILLAGE, Cayo District, Mon. Feb. 3, 2025

On Friday night, January 31, a 30-year-old maintenance worker, Seferino Maas Pop, was shot to death while at his home in Cotton Tree Village, Cayo District.

Sometime after 7:30 p.m. that Friday, Pop, who is a Guatemalan national, and his wife, 30-year-old Amalia Cho, were relaxing in separate hammocks on the verandah of their home, when an unknown individual shouted for Pop and he reportedly responded, which was immediately followed by the firing of gunshots in his direction.

_{Home of the deceased Pop}

Cho ran inside their home unharmed, but Pop was wounded and died in the hammock.

The brother of the deceased, Alfonso Maas-Pop, told reporters that they had both gone to do a plumbing job in the 8 Miles community, and they had arrived home less than an hour before the shooting incident.

“I mi tink police buss a shot out deh. When I look outside, I hear my sista-in-law di bawl that they kill mi bredda, but I neva believe it,” he said. “Dis da wahn surprise. Everybody could tell yu round dis village, he nuh got no problem. Maybe when he drunk he offend somebody or whateva. I nuh know,” said Pop.

Alfonso said he is certain that his brother was the gunman’s target, because the assassin called out his name at his home.

“I waahn figure why they do ahn dis, because da nuh no mistake; because dey call fu hihn name before dehn do dat. If di man mi di sell wahn lee drugs I mi wahn tell ahn fu mek he stop do dat; but he mi deh pan a veranda just reach fahn work. Whole day me and he eat and work tugeda and he neva tell me anything,” Pop said.

Seven expended shells were found at the scene. Pop’s body was transported to the Western Regional Hospital Morgue, where he was officially pronounced dead at 10:13 p.m.

ACP Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander of the Belize Police Department’s Eastern Division, told reporters that two persons have been detained, but no concrete motive for the shooting has yet been determined.

The deceased Pop leaves behind a newborn child.