Belmopan Police investigate shooting of Luis Montejo in Maya Mopan

A 24-year-old man is in critical condition following a broad daylight shooting in the Maya Mopan area of Belmopan this afternoon, in what police believe may have been an act of retaliation linked to a recent murder in Santa Elena. The victim, Luis Montejo, was reportedly standing with three other persons on F. Chicac Street at around 12:56 p.m. when two slim, dark-complexioned men approached and opened fire. The gunmen reportedly fired several rounds from handguns, striking Montejo multiple times to the upper body.  The assailants then fled the area in an SUV.  Montejo was rushed to the Western Regional Hospital, where he remains hospitalized in critical condition.  Preliminary police information suggests that investigators are looking at the possibility that the shooting was an act of retaliation connected to a murder that occurred in Santa Elena on July 10.  Police are investigating the attempted murder and are working to identify and locate the two gunmen.