It was the bang that shattered the peace of a quiet Christmas morning. And when the smoke had cleared 29-year-old Errol Anthony Gomez lay dead on the floor of his home.
But Gomez was no stranger to violence, in fact, we met him three years ago shortly after he escaped from house fire set to kill him.
Back then he just barely woke up in time, but on Christmas Day he wasn't so lucky.
It's a shocking end that serves as further proof that in Belize murder never takes a holiday, not even on Christmas.
In April 2017 when they set his home on fire Errol Gomez was sleeping inside. The intent was to kill him, to perish inside his burning house.
Posted: April 3, 2017
Errol Gomez - Resident
"Well, the only thing I could seh right, I know deh got people weh at me weh wah kill me and hurt me but I just wah mek deh know that if they want come do me anything I deh right ya and thing."
He saw death coming in 2017 and come it did, on a bright but chilly Christmas day three years later, through this shattered window.
ACP Joseph Myvette, Head NCIB
"On the 25th of September sometime shortly after 5 a.m. Dangriga police were called to the second new site area at the home of one Errol Gomez whereupon their arrival they observed Errol Gomez on the floor of his home with apparent gunshot injuries and motionless. His common-law-wife was interviewed where she reported hearing Mr. Gomez walking around in the house shortly before 5 a.m. and thereafter she heard several loud bangs sounding like gunshots as a result she called for police who then visited the scene and the scene was processed and the body of Mr. Gomez was removed to the Southern Regional hospital pending post-mortem results whilst police are conducting an investigation at this point in time we do not have any leads but we are following up on the ground in relation to this investigation."
Cherissse Halsall:
"When this new this news broke on Christmas day the commissioner chided the media saying that this man did not die of murder but in fact of fright and foaming at the mouth."
ACP Joseph Myvette, Head NCIB
"Hence the reason that we are waiting."
And while the cops wait on Gomez's postmortem to determine whether he was murdered or just suffered a sudden death. Gomez didn't mince words the day his house burned, he figured there was someone out to get him.
Posted: April 3, 2017
Reporter
"Do you know who would do such a thing?"
Errol Gomez- Resident
"Well ih only could be people weh no like me."
Jules Vasquez- Reporter
"Seems there is no shortage of that."
Errol Gomez- Resident
"Well deh neva no weh got haters. They neva weh stop got haters, everywhere haters deh."
And on Sunday those haters went to his house, with guns blazing.
As you heard, while there is some uncertainty about just what killed Gomez - and official police report, has it listed as a murder.
We note that Gomez is a distant cousin of Jeffrey Gomez, one of the four missing fishermen, also from Dangriga.
