Tonight, Cayo police are standing guard over a 19-year-old who was likely shot by a couple whose home he tried to home invade last night.
Around 10:00, the cops received a call about a burglary attempt at a home on Paslow Falls Road in Bullet Tree Village. When they responded, they found a 22-year-old law student and her 40-year-old common-law husband. They were watching television inside their bedroom when they heard their dogs barking. They made a few checks but didn't find anything.
About 5 minutes later, they heard someone smashing their glass door. That's when they saw the shadows of burglars trying to enter. One of them had a bat, which he used to strike the glass door. The other opened fire on them inside their bedroom.
The female law student then drew her licensed weapon and fired back. She heard the sound of someone screaming as though he was injured. The assailants fled the house, and the officers followed a blood trail, where they eventually found a 9-millimeter pistol on the verandah. The officers then followed the trail further, which led to the nearby river. The injured thief made his way across and was found in the bushed crying for help. They found a 19 year old from Benque Viejo bleeding from a single gunshot injury to the left side of his face. They took him to the Western Regional Hospital where he remains under police guard.
Today, when we asked the Police Communications Officer about the incident, he could only share very scant details:
ASP Fitzroy Yearwood - Communication Officer, Police Department
"I am working on the information about an aggravated burglary in the Cayo District also, which I will send to you in a little while. I am clearing up some of the information first so that I can give you an accurate account. But, I can tell you, a person, one of the assailants was shot on the scene, and he's known to the police, as I previously listed. He was wanted in connection with questioning about another aggravated burglary earlier this year. I can tell you that he is under police guard at the San Ignacio Community Hospital at this time."
Daniel Ortiz
"Can you tell us the nature of the injury he suffered, allegedly in retaliation to victims whose homes he was trying to burglarize?"
ASP Fitzroy Yearwood - Communication Officer, Police Department
"What I can tell you is that they made an attempt on this home, and apparently they didn't know that the victims had a licensed firearm. They returned fire, causing his injuries."
We are told that the cops found several 9mm shells along with the gun, which is believed to have been used by the would-be burglars.
There were reportedly three men trying to get into the house.
