One Suspect Charged in Shooting Death of Brandon Baptist

The deadly football match on Friday night left one person dead, three injured, and many spectators were in shock and traumatized. The alleged shooter has since surrendered to the police, along with his licensed firearm. While no charges have been brought against him for the murder of Brandon Baptist, he faces eight other charges, including attempted murder for the three surviving victims. This morning, shortly before eleven a.m., police escorted twenty-nine-year-old Shevaughn Anthony Gotoy, a resident of Hibiscus Lane, to the Belize City Magistrate’s Court under special escort. Gotoy, accompanied by his attorney Orson “OJ” Elrington, appeared before a Senior Magistrate. He was read eight criminal and indictable offenses. The Senior Magistrate explained that due to the nature of the offenses, no plea would be taken, and she would only ensure that Gotoy understood the charges.

She also informed him that she could not grant bail due to the severity of the offenses, and he would need to apply for bail at the High Court. Gotoy was charged with two counts of attempted murder upon John Grinage and Gerson Mena, two counts of dangerous harm upon Grinage and Mena, three counts of use of deadly means of harm upon Grinage, Mena, and Kameron Williams, and one count of wounding upon Williams for the shooting incident on January thirty-first, 2025, at Marion Jones Stadium. Just before midday, Gotoy’s arraignment concluded, and he was remanded to the Belize Central Prison until April eighth. Attorney Elrington is currently applying for bail at the High Court.

On Friday night, shortly after nine o’clock, police responded to reports of shots fired at Marion Jones Sporting Complex in Belize City. Upon arrival, they learned that several people had been injured and taken to the KHMH. At the hospital, they found Brandon Baptist, thirty-nine, John Grinage, thirty-seven, and Cameron Williams, twenty-one, all suffering from gunshot wounds. Initial investigations revealed that the men were watching a football game when an argument broke out, leading to multiple shots being fired. Baptist succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead on arrival at the KHMH. The investigation included recorded statements and video footage of the incident. Based on the evidence, Shevaughn Anthony Gotoy was identified as the suspect. On February second, Gotoy, a Supervisor at Belize Western Energy Ltd., turned himself in at the Queen Street Police Station with his attorney, Ronell Gonzalez. He handed over his licensed firearm, which was sealed and sent for forensic analysis. While in custody, Gotoy admitted to firing shots at Brandon Baptist in self-defense, leading to the eight charges against him, though no charges for Baptist’s death have been filed.