A wild scene played out in Santa Elena, Cayo on Saturday when a man went running down the street firing a gun.
Police found him hyperventilating and in a hallucinatory state - they believe from an overdose - which would leave him dead in a few hours:
Asp Stacy Smith, Staff Officer
"On 16th May, Saturday 16th May 2026 at around 11:21 Am San Ignacio police received information of a shooting incident in the hill view area of Santa Elena town. The officers proceeded where they met with a male person who was in a hyper ventilated state and they also observed a number of expended shells and a further search of the area where this individual was found they recovered a 9mm pistol. The male person was escorted to the hospital for medical attention however sometime later that night around 8:13pm to be exact the male person succumbed."
"Where preliminary indication suggests that he was under the influence of prohibited substance, the male person passed away around sometime around 8:30PM on Saturday and a post mortem examination is pending to ascertain the cause of death."
"A further check of the area, video footage in the area showed the male person who has since been identified as Joel Sierra running along the street with a firearm in his hand and discharging rounds into the air."
"What I have been able to gather so far is that it appears that given that he was under the influence he may have been hallucinating and engaging in those acts."
Sierra was well known to police.
