Belize City. Thurs. Sept. 23, 2021– On Tuesday, September 21, a Belize Coast Guard officer lost his life following an altercation that ensued between a friend of his and a Belize Defence Force soldier. According to police, around 4:00 p.m. on Independence Day, Elston Morter, a 28-year old Belize Coast Guard officer, and Marcel Adrian Gill, a 28-year-old security guard, were socializing at Gill’s Hattieville home.

A short time later, the men went to the home of a BDF soldier, Leon Perez, which was nearby. While they were at Perez’s home, an argument started between Perez and Morter and Gill over a prior, minor traffic accident involving Gill and Perez. The two had supposedly resolved the issue, but apparently Perez had been harboring some resentment about the incident, and he became enraged when the men started to discuss what happened.

Investigators believe that, at some point during the altercation, Perez got a knife and stabbed Morter and Gill. Morter and Gill were both transported to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital to receive treatment for their injuries, but Morter would later die as a result of the wounds he received. By 4:30 p.m. that day, when police visited the hospital, he had been pronounced dead. Gill, however, remains hospitalized.

Police continue to investigate and will be seeking advice from the office of the Director of Public Prosecution before proceeding with charges.

Police were awaiting the results of a post-mortem exam of Morter’s body. Perez has since been arrested and charge for the crime of murder. Authorities are yet to recover the suspected murder weapon.