Ruben Echavarria, known is Bengue-T, is reported to be recovering in a Guatemalan hospital after he was shot yesterday morning. More details about his shooting are known tonight. It happened at 10 minutes to eight at the last speed bump in Esperanza across from the softball field. The location and time are important because that’s a popular bus stop and it is crowded in the early morning, with workers waiting to head to Belmopan.
Echavarria was with his mother and two sisters and as he slowed to drive across the speed bump, a lone gunman walked up to the Jeep Cherokee he was driving and opened fire. Echavarria was lucky because the bullet that hit him in his back had to go through the door first, lessening the impact. Wounded, Echavarria couldn’t speed off and the gunman is reported to have started to run behind the SUV and continued to fire. Still, Echavarria got away without anyone else inside getting hurt. He made it to safety about a mile down the road at Running W Meats. From there he was transported to the La Loma Luz Hospital and then sent to Guatemala.
As we noted last night, Echavarria is a figure of some renown in Santa Elena, and his shooting has sparked reports of many gang-related conspiracies. Police have a number of persons held. One of them is a young man who just got off a murder charge a month ago. But he is only detained at this time. By tomorrow, we’ll be able to tell you if he’s been charged.
