_{Stanley Flowers, detained}

by Charles Gladden

LADYVILLE, Belize District, Mon. Mar. 31, 2025

A police officer escaped death on Sunday night, March 30, after being shot multiple times while at a popular nightclub in Ladyville, Belize District, on the Philip Goldson Highway.

Shortly before midnight on Sunday, Corporal Manuel Chub and another police officer were working at Fire Nightclub (formerly Eruption Nightclub) when they were informed that someone on the premises had a firearm and a knife. The officers were able to locate the suspect, identified as 36-year-old Stanley Flowers, a fisherman of Crooked Tree Village, and he was ordered to raise his hands.

_{Bullet riddled police mobile}

Flowers responded by pointing his firearm at them, blasting shots at Chub at close range, and also hitting the patrol vehicle parked at the establishment. He then fled on a motorcycle toward the Burrell Boom Junction, where there was a police patrol vehicle approaching on the highway. When Flowers saw the approaching vehicle, he fired gunshots at it, which caused damage to the car, and the two vehicles collided.

_{Motorcycle ridden by Flowers}

On Monday, March 31, Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police, met with reporters and highlighted the need for bulletproof vests for officers on duty. He acknowledged that they are expensive, but emphasized that they are cheaper than funeral expenses.

“We are hoping we’ll be able to get some, and it has to be done incrementally. The cost of a bulletproof vest is expensive; but at the same time, I must say it is far less than if an officer were to be killed in the line of duty because of not having one, [whereby the department] would pay more to bury that officer and to give to his family. So, it is more effective for us to get these vests, and so it is something that we have to discuss and see what we can do to make sure that every police officer has one. So, it’s a discussion that we must have,” he commented.

Numerous unlawful incidents have occurred at Fire (formerly Eruption) Nightclub in the past, which have led to its operations being temporarily closed. Commissioner Williams noted, however, that there’s no connection between the gunman and the establishment.

“There’s no connection between him [Flowers] and the club owners, so I don’t see what could be done to [them] as a result of that incident,” he said.

Flowers was detained, pending charges.