Belmopan Shootout Suspects Remanded on Firearm Charges

Two men who were detained following last Thursday’s police shootout in Belmopan have now been formally charged and remanded to prison on firearm and ammunition offenses. Twenty-year-old Culzac Vaughn and twenty-three-year-old Camron Adolphus were arraigned in court after police linked them to a firearm and several rounds of ammunition allegedly recovered during the joint police operation in the Salvapan area.  The incident unfolded on the morning of May 14 when police surveillance and tactical teams intercepted a black Nissan Altima occupied by the two men. Surveillance footage captured the moment officers opened fire on the vehicle after it attempted to turn onto El Salvador Street. Police later recovered a Beretta nine-millimeter pistol along with multiple rounds of ammunition, including twenty-eight 7.62 rounds and several nine-millimeter rounds.  Both Vaughn and Adolphus were grazed during the exchange of gunfire before being apprehended by police in the J&W area. Authorities have since confirmed that the pair has now been remanded to the Belize Central Prison pending the outcome of the case.

Stacy Smith, Assistant Superintendent of Police: “Police have formally arrested and jointly charged 23-year-old Cameron Adolphus of Burrell Boom Village and Vaughn Culzat 20 years of age of Roaring Creek Village for the offense of kept firearm without a gun license, one count of kept ammunition without a gun license, and one count of kept prohibited ammunition. These charges follow a police operation which was carried out on Friday 15 May, 2026, around at 8:30 a.m. in Belmopan City, where a vehicle which they were on board was intercepted and a search of that vehicle led to the discovery of a 9mm Beretta pistol, 28 live rounds of 7.62 calibre ammunition, 15 live rounds of.22 calibre ammunition and 8 live rounds of 9mm ammunition. Adolphus has since pleaded guilty and Culzat not guilty. Both individuals however have since been remanded to the Belize Central Prison where Adolphus awaits sentencing and Culzat further court appearance. We know the border, the porous border serves as one of those areas that illegal firearms are brought in. We saw the instance where one person sought to import a number of firearms but thankfully the check that happens at custom that was intercepted. We continue our efforts on our part to try to conduct operations along the border lines and those porous areas with a view to deterring these type of activities. The mobile interdiction team is one unit that is particularly tasked with such a mandate and we continue to invest in intelligence and other surveillance operation for us to detect and intercept these unlicensed weapons.” 

While police remain guarded about the motive behind the operation, ASP Stacy Smith indicated that investigators have gathered intelligence regarding what the two men were allegedly endeavoring to do at the time. However, Smith said police are not prepared to disclose those details publicly at this stage of the investigation.