One Dead After Store Owner Shoots During Santa Elena Robbery Attempt

Police are investigating a robbery attempt at a business establishment in Santa Elena Town, Cayo District, that left one suspect dead and another on the run. Officers were alerted shortly after 5:40 Saturday evening to a robbery at Ana’s Store along the George Price Highway.  Investigations reveal that two-armed men entered the establishment, one wearing a mask and the other a helmet, and demanded money from the proprietors. During the encounter the store owner, a licensed firearm holder, fearing for his life and the lives of his family members, fired three shots in the direction of the intruders, causing both suspects to flee the store. One of the suspects was later found suffering from gunshot injuries and was later pronounced dead. Police say the deceased was known to them and is believed to have been associated with a group linked to similar criminal activity. ASP Stacy Smith shared more details on the incident.

Stacy Smith, Assistant Superintendent of Police: “At approximately 1:35 a.m. when police in Belmopan were advised that a motor vehicle was observed along mile 32 on the Hummingbird Highway in an overturned condition. The police officers proceeded to that location and assistance was given to those individuals who were learned to be four in number and they were escorted to the Western Regional Hospital for treatment. One of the individuals who was in the vehicle, namely Miss Mendes, later succumbed to the injuries that she sustained in the incident. What the investigators have ascertained so far is that the vehicle was being driven at the time by one Jalen Thompson, and they were coming from the South after going to a party, we are told, and sometime whilst approaching Mile 32 Mr. Thompson lost control of the motor vehicle causing it to overturn. The investigators have secured a urine sample from Mr. Thompson with a view to establishing whether or not alcohol or drugs played a role in this incident and he has also been served with a notice of intended prosecution.”

This incident marks the third person to die during a robbery attempt at that establishment, with a prior fatal incident occurring in 2013 when two-armed suspects were shot and killed during a robbery attempt. At this time investigators are compiling a file which will be submitted to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to determine whether the force used by the store owner in the incident was legally justified. Authorities also note that the incident comes amid a recent increase in violent robberies in the Santa Elena area, heightening concerns among residents and business owners.