Photo: Jose Matus, deceased
by Charles Gladden
BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Jan. 18, 2024
A 48-year-old man who was reputed to be a prominent drug lord in the northern portion of the country was executed in the streets of Belize City just after noon on Friday, January 12. The victim, Jose “El Wapo” Matus, was driving in his GMC Envoy SUV on Rio Grande Crescent in the Fabers Road area, and had given a young lady a ride to her home in the area, when two men jumped out of a van and sprayed a shower of gunshots at close range at the window on the driver’s side of his vehicle, which fatally wounded him.
Matus reportedly bled profusely as he took his last breath behind the wheel of his car. He was not the only person wounded by the multiple gunshots, however. Two female bystanders at the scene of the shooting were also wounded, but their injuries were not life-threatening. Both those two women, and the young lady whom Matus had given a ride to her home along with a friend of hers, are believed to be innocent of any complicity in the crime.
It has been reported that twenty-seven expended shells were found at the scene, with initial reports indicating that they were fired from two types of firearms—one of which was reportedly an assault rifle. Those reports were later confirmed by the Commissioner of Police, who told the national media that they were fired from a 9mm pistol and a .223 rifle.
Previous attempts had been made to take Matus’s life—the most recent of which occurred in October of last year on Morning Glory Street in Belize City, when it was believed he was in an opposing group’s territory.
“The truth is, for the past three times [before] his death, every time that he would come into the city he would be pursued by those who may have wanted him dead. We had warned him on numerous occasions to try and stay away from the city. Seemingly, he still came in, and those who were in pursuit of him, managed to [have] caught up with him, and he was eventually killed,” said ComPol Williams.
The Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams told reporters, “The van is a rental. It was rented from an individual here in Belize City. We have the information [about] the person who rented the van, and that’s the person we are seeking at this time … At this time, we believe that the motive may be drug-related.”
Commissioner Williams also mentioned that measures have been taken by police to prevent any acts of retaliation. “Since Friday, we had put in place certain things to avert any possible retaliation. That is holding so far, and we continue to maintain our presence on the grounds and do whatever else we need to do to try and prevent any retaliation,” he said.
At the time when ComPol Williams spoke to the media, he noted that the department was seeking the person who rented the van, as they have the van in their custody and no one had yet been detained. Today, Thursday, the Belize Police Department announced that they have arrested and charged one person in connection with the murder – he is 27-year-old Jimmy Rojas, a maintenance worker of Peter Seco Street, Belize City.