BELIZE CITY, Mon. Nov. 23, 2020– Sean Menzies, 57, a long-time employee and sales representative at Bowen and Bowen Ltd., was gunned down in front of his Lancaster Street home in Belize City on the night of Wednesday, November 18.
Menzies arrived at his residence shortly after 11:00 p.m. and decided to take a cigarette break outside. At around 11:15 p.m., shots rang out in the neighborhood, and it was learned that two men had shown up in front of Menzies’ house and shot him multiple times and fled.
Menzies died at the scene.
Police are now trying to determine the motive for the shooting, but have been unsuccessful thus far, according to Superintendent Alejandro Cowo, Officer in charge of the Eastern Division Crime Investigation Branch. “Nothing so far, so we are still puzzled as to why him … I know that Mr. Menzies was a person that was a very good character… We have spoken to some of the neighbors there and as I mentioned, we are following all the leads that are coming out,” he said.
Following news of Menzies’ murder, there has been a swell of support for his family in their time of bereavement. A short post on the social media page for Belikin Beer reads, “Rest in Peace, Sean Menzies, Sr. You embodied all that is good about Belize. You will be dearly missed by us all”.
The Belize Billiards Sports Federation posted on Facebook, “We at the Billiards family are extremely saddened by this untimely and sudden death. We have wonderful and long-lasting memories of Mr. Menzies every time he represented Bowen & Bowen, especially at the annual grand Belikin National tournament held throughout Belize…We hope justice is served. We pray God’s guidance for his family and co-workers”.
Menzies worked at Bowen and Bowen Ltd. for 41 years. John Palacio, Public Relations Coordinator for Bowen and Bowen, spoke of the impact Menzies had on the company, his work ethic and what the loss means to his work colleagues: “He was known as ‘Mr. B&B’; of course, he was much more than that. He was a family man. He was a friend. He was a comedian, a hard worker, a hard B&B worker. That’s who he was. For sure, there are countless people across the country who have similar memories. He had a gift for making people around him feel comfortable,” said Palacio.
On Saturday, November 21, Jeffery Contreras, 22, a laborer of #18 Iguana Street, was arrested and charged with abetment to commit murder in connection with the shooting of Menzies.