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CrimeMasked man shot in San Pedro armed robbery identified

Ajlan Raheem Requeña’s shirt was on his face when cops found his body

The Christmas was not merry for a retired Belize Defence Force Lieutenant who had to go to the morgue to identify his son, who was killed after a brave storeowner of San Pedro engaged two robbers in a gun battle. The other robber was forced to run for his life.

The incident occurred in San Pedro at about 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 21, when the owner of the W&W Convenience Store was alerted by his son that robbers were inside his store.

The proprietor, Wei Ran Chen, 44, of the DFC area of San Pedro Town, fired a warning shot, but one of the thieves returned fire. The store owner fired again, hitting one of the assailants, later identified as Ajlan Raheem Requeña, as he was trying to escape.

Requeña fell inside the drain behind the store, where he was found dead by police and taken to the San Pedro Polyclinic. There, he was declared dead on arrival.

Police have since ruled the killing as self-defense.

The deceased was unknown in San Pedro, and it was not until Monday, December 23, that police learned his identity. It was his father, Gilroy Requeña, who confirmed his identity.

Requeña, 21, was a resident of San Juan Layout of San Ignacio Town. He had reportedly traveled to San Pedro Town on Thursday, December 19, for unknown reasons, two days before he was killed in the robbery.

According to police, the second robber, for whom police are still searching, managed to escape with an undisclosed amount of money from the store.

Police said that the assailants reached the store on stolen bicycles. Two black beach cruiser bicycles were recovered at the scene, they said.

Chen told police that around 7:30 that Saturday evening, two men wearing masks entered his store, demanding money. One of them was armed with a handgun, while the other man was unarmed.

The armed bandit pointed the gun at Chen’s wife, Wei Qing Zhu, who was in the store at the time, while the other jumped behind the counter to search the cash drawer.

Chen’s son, Jun Chen, who managed to slip away while the men were robbing the store, quickly alerted his father, who took out his licensed 9-mm pistol and fired the warning shot.

According to police, the robber who was armed fired about four to five rounds at the owner before he fled. Police believe this was when Requeña, who was unarmed, was shot.

He was found with his brown shirt covering his face, they said.

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