Last night, we told you about the Sunday morning drowning of 26-year-old Edwin Brian Isidro. He's the man who died in the Mopan River after reportedly fleeing from a joint law enforcement team that was patrolling for contraband. When this incident first happened, the Belizean lawmen were being initially accused of shooting Isidro.
Well, a post mortem conducted today revealed that Isidro died from drowning. Again, this lines up with the account from the officers on the joint BDF/ police patrol that a member fired warning shots in the air to get Isidro and his companions to exit the river.
Around 11:00 a.m., on Sunday, lawmen were conducting foot patrols along the Mopan River near Benque Viejo when they saw 4 Hispanic men trying to cross the river. Isidro was one of those men.
The lawmen immediately focused on them, since the area is a contraband hotspot, and as soon as they approached the men, they reportedly jumped back into the river and dove in. One of the officers fired warning shots in the air, and at this time, it is suspected that the sound of the weapon caused him to suffer a nasty fall into the river. About 45 minutes later, Isidro's body floated up.
Early reports suggested that Isidro was from Benque Viejo Town, but police said today that he was a resident of Bella Vista Village, Toledo District.
