Photo: Maxwell Samuel Smith, deceased

by Kristen Ku

BELIZE CITY, Wed. Apr. 12, 2023

Two men are facing an extensive list of charges this week after a fatal home invasion on Easter Sunday in Tres Puntas Area, San Ignacio.

Twenty-six-year old Isiah Azueta of Kontiki Extension, San Ignacio; and fifty-nine-year old Ernest Thompson of Santa Cruz Area, Santa Elena; have been arrested by San Ignacio police after they invaded the home of Maxwell Samuel Smith, 72, in the Tres Puntas Area, and left him dead and two others injured.

According to reports, Smith, a retired Belizean-American, was at home on Sunday morning along with his sister, Dorothy Lois August, when two men broke into his home and held them at gunpoint. A neighbor and friend of Smith, who became aware of what was happening, called the police, who went to the area and immediately surrounded the two-story home, and called out the burglars who were inside.

Police would go on to hear two gunshots inside the home before Azueta stepped outside with his face covered with a T-shirt, and threw his weapon on the veranda before surrendering. He also indicated that he had been shot in the leg. While the police were distracted by Azueta his accomplice attempted to escape through the back door, and this led to a shootout between the thief and the police.

While some police officers held Azueta on the ground, others chased his accomplice, Thompson, who escaped the home fully armed.

In the shootout with the officers Thompson wounded P.C. Ronaldo Oh to his head, stomach, and left hand, before making his escape.

On entering the home police discovered the lifeless and bloody body of Smith, who was lying on his back with a gunshot wound in his armpit area. His sister, August, also suffered injuries in the hold up, one of them a facial wound around her right eye.

A manhunt for Thompson was immediately initiated by police, who have since detained him.

It is alleged that Azueta was shot by Smith, while Thompson was shot by police during the shootout.

Reports are that the thieves attempted to rob Smith of his two firearms. Police recovered both of Smith’s weapons, and they also recovered the weapon the two men used to carry out the crime. Police say the investigations are ongoing, and at this time the motive for the attack is still unclear.

Azueta was hospitalized under police supervision while receiving treatment, prior to him and his accomplice being arrested for their crimes.

Reports reveal that both burglars, Azueta from Kontiki Extension, San Ignacio, and Thompson from Santa Cruz Area, Santa Elena, are jointly arrested for one count of murder, one count of aggravated burglary, and one count of dangerous harm. They are each also facing one count of robbery, one count of kept firearm without a gun license, and one count of kept ammunition without a gun license.

Thompson was separately charged with one count of attempted murder and one count of handling stolen goods.

Police say they suspect that there was a third person involved, a person who they believe is the mastermind of the home invasion, and they are carrying out an investigation with the aim of arresting that third individual.

Smith’s oldest son, Elridge McDougal, said that he was alerted by neighbors about the shooting before visiting the police station, where he received the tragic news of his father’s death.

“From talking to the police, it seems as if though there were some guys that went up there to orchestrate some kind of robbery, and that’s the home invasion that we all heard of what had happened, you know. So, that’s what the police told me, that two guys were in the house and they had held my dad and my aunt and other persons, they had held them hostage,” said McDougal.

Smith lived in Belize for many years and was a well-known and respected “icon” of his community, according to McDougal.

“He held a high position at the United Nations, working for Belize for many years, and he is a retired person from the UN. He used to live in New York, you know, and now he decided that he wanted to come back to Belize to build a resort and, you know, to come and retire here in Belize,” said McDougal.

Local authorities and friends of Smith have expressed shock on learning of his passing, and his family has been receiving many messages of condolence.