We are not sure why police have remained tight lipped about the recent arrest of yet another former police man in the March fourteenth homicide of Orange Walk Chinese national Hui Lin Chen but we could not get anyone involved in the investigation to speak to us. In fact when 7News contacted Lead Investigator Inspector Vidal he relayed a message to us that he would be in a meeting for the rest of the day.
So what we do know is what has been reported in this weekend’s edition of The Reporter newspaper and that is on Wednesday, June third, former Police Constable forty two year old Homer Banner who had served in the Police Department for twelve years and up to the time of his arrest was a security guard at the British High Commission has been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit murder and one count of abetment to murder. Exactly what role the former Police Constable played in the murder remains unknown but the police are reported as stating that the arrest is based on sufficient evidence that links homer banner to the crime.
Homer Banner who has been remanded to Hattieville Prison until July thirteenth now joins Police Constable Manuel Hill and former Police Constable Kevin Alvarez aka Cowboy who police believe is the person who mistakenly killed the Chinese employee. That is because police strongly believe based on their investigation that it was the victim’s employer who was the intended target. The hit apparently was allegedly ordered by a prominent Chinese businessman from Belmopan who police have yet to arrest – and who has reportedly left the country.
Initial reports are that earlier on in the investigation Homer Banner was detained and questioned but then released. According to reports police also believe that Hill, Alvarez and Banner were all paid fifteen thousand dollars to carry out the hit. Kevin Alvarez was arrested shortly after the killing because when police arrived on the scene, he was seen running away from the location and police took chase. However after jumping into a river in an attempt to get away Alvarez reportedly armed with two weapons in hand opened fire on the cops who responded. Alvarez was hit, taken to the Orange Walk Hospital and upon his recovery he was arrested.
During the shootout three police officers were also hit but all have since recovered from their injuries.
