The Valentin Conservation Post is tucked deep in the Chiquibul Forest - close to the border and across from the Guatemalan village of La Rejoya. It was erected there in 2014 to discourage cattle ranching encroachments which were increasingly pushing into Belize. And though Valentin is called a conservation post - it is primarily manned by law enforcement officers. And on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 - one of them - a BDF soldier - was shot in the buttocks. Tonight, police are trying to find out who did it - and whether it was friendly or hostile fire, originating in Belize or coming from across the border. Today in Belmopan, the Commissioner provided a briefing on what they know so far:
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"Officers were at the Valentin outpost in the Chiquibul forest reserve area when one single gunshot was heard. Subsequent to that one of the B.D.F. soldier realized that he was shot in the buttocks. At this time investigators are trying to ascertain who fired the shot and from which direction it was fired. Based on what the B.D.F. solider reported the shot may have been fired from Guatemala. I know the BDF who was injured is still admitted to the Western Regional Hospital and from what I was briefed is that the slug is still lodge in him and so, the slug will be very key in determine the type of weapon that was used as well as the trajectory and distance. So as soon as the doctor has conducted the surgery we are going to obtain the slug from the doctor and it will be sent to the National Forensic Service for ballistic testing."
Jules Vasquez
"At this point you all do not know if it was friendly fire or hostile or accidental or unfriendly."
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"At this time, we don't know and that is what we want to find out."
Jules Vasquez
"I know that many times when soldiers are allotted ammunition, they have to account for each round that they used. It would seem straight forward enough if anyone has all their rounds accounted for."
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"That has been done. We have check with the BDF and they have confirmed that every of the officers who were at that outpost did in fact account for all their rounds."
So, if the rounds are accounted for - then it would strongly suggest that the fire came from a civilian, possibly a Guatemalan. We asked the commissioner if the shot could have bene fired from across the border:
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"It's not too far away, I have been there once. It's not too far away, but still quite a distance for a shotgun or a small type weapon - perhaps maybe a long-range weapon like an AR15 or M16 - those may be able to travel further and if one is fired from the Guatemalan side of the border to that area, perhaps it might hit a target. But again, if it is, we're not saying that the shooter could have been in Guatemala. The shooter could have well be in Belize as well, just a bit closer to the adjacency zone. The soldier is in stable condition. The injury doesn't seem to be life-threatening and we hope that he can recover well and fully from this matter."
The BDF put out a very cautious statement yesterday saying, quote, "An immediate investigation has been launched into the circumstances that led to this incident and will involve members of the Belize Police Department in order to ensure transparency."
