CHIQUIBUL, Cayo District, Mon. June 8, 2020– A Guatemalan national is in a serious but stable condition at the Western Regional Hospital after he was shot in a gunfire exchange between him and members of a patrol consisting of soldiers of the Belize Defence Force, rangers of Friends of Conservation and Development (FCD), and police officers.
The law enforcement agencies said that while conducting a patrol in the Chiquibul National Park at about 8:00 last night, they came across a Guatemalan who was clearly in Belizean territory, and the man fired at them when they tried to arrest him.
Our security forces returned fire, and the Guatemalan was shot in the leg and upper shoulder. He was arrested and brought to the San Ignacio Community Hospital, and then to the Western Regional Hospital, where he has been placed in quarantine.
After he is treated and released into police custody, if he tests negative for the COVID-19 virus, he will be charged with violation of Emergency Powers Regulations, which carries a $5,000 fine or 3 years imprisonment.
He is also expected to be charged with illegal entry into Belize, which carries a $1,000 fine or a 6-month prison sentence.
Feature photo: Valentine Camp in Chiquibul