Tonight, a Belize Defence Force soldier is dead, and another is injured after a shooting incident at the Crique Sarco Conservation Post in Toledo. It happened on Sunday at around nine p.m.; several soldiers were on duty when an altercation escalated to violence between Private Clive Baizar and Private Alfred Robinson, after which several shots were fired. Baizar succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds, while another patrol member, Brandon Guzman, sustained two gunshot wounds and is currently in stable condition. Major Roberta Usher, B.D.F. Chief of Staff, provided more details on the incident.
Britney Gordon
“Back in May, there was a shooting incident. And in 2019, there was also a shooting incident. And in that case, the perpetrators were demoted in rank. What sort of consequences are we looking into for this incident?”
Major Roberta Usher
Major Roberta Usher, Chief of Staff, B.D.F.
“Well, this matter is now in police, on the police investigation; depending on whatcomes of it, then they will be charged accordingly. So, I can’t explain what he willreceive, no.”
Britney Gordon
“And the other officer, the soldier that was injured, what sort of injuries did he sustain?”
Major Roberta Usher
“He received a wound to his left torso and then one near his hand around the pinky finger. He’s currently in stable condition at the Western Regional. The doctors are seeing if he requires surgery or anything at the moment, but he is stable.”
Britney Gordon
“Are we aware they are aware if alcohol was involved?”
Major Roberta Usher
“Again, the entire patrol, the samples have been taken, and they are goingthrough their process of being investigated. However, on the initial outcome of the commanders on the ground and the commanders at Fairweather Camp, they do not believe alcohol is involved, but we will not know until these results are back.”
Britney Gordon
“Were they on duty at the time, or were they socialising?”
Major Roberta Usher
“Oh no, they were, they were on duty at the patrol base.”
Britney Gordon
“We understand that this area is sort of a hotspot for narco activity. So what sort of precautions are we taking to ensure the security of that base if incidents like this are occurring?”
Major Roberta Usher
“Right. So the infantry battalion commander has done all the efforts to be madeto ensure that the patrol base continues to be secured. The patrol has been replaced. So we have to continue with our operational requirements. All of those have been in place and done already. So the patrol base is secured, and the individuals from the previous patrol have been brought in for their investigation.”
Violence within the B.D.F. is not unprecedented. In 2023, a BDF sergeant was demoted for shooting a fellow soldier at Fairweather Camp in 2019. In May 2024, police launched an investigation into an incident involving a soldier allegedly discharging a personal firearm at the same camp. Now, police are investigating the death of Private Clive Baizar, who was fatally shot on Sunday night at the Crique Sarco Conservation Post. While the motive for the incident remains unclear, preliminary reports suggest that alcohol may have been involved. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams provided more details.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“Last night, sometime after ten p.m. thereabout, police received information of shots fired in the Crique Sarco area. That is in the Toledo district, and upon responding, they encountered the lifeless body of a male person who was identified as Clyde Baizar, a private in the Belize Defence Force. The body exhibited gunshot injuries. Police also found another private by the name of Alfred Robinson, who was said to be the one who had inflicted the gunshot injuries to Baizar. Alfred was taken into custody by the police, where he is currently detained pending further investigation. Initial information received so far is that the two soldiers were socialising at the B.D.F. outpost in that area when they had an argument between themselves, which resulted in Robinson firing a series of gunshots and fatally hitting Baizar, and another soldier was also hit. That other soldier is currently admitted at the Western Regional Hospital recovering. So that is what we have at this time.”
Reporter
“Sir, we know you said that you don’t give information about gunshots fired. We’ve been told that there are as many as nine. What could, from your investigations, have triggered this solar fire that many rounds?”
Chester Williams
“I was not here, but as I said before, they had an argument, and that was what led to the gunshots being fired.”
Reporter
“While police strategy has lowered gang-related violence, how do you know how to tackle this kind of violence where arguments escalate to a fatal?”
Chester Williams
“Well, I don’t think you would expect that we’d be able to stop these types of killings. They’re certainly outside the preventative reach of the police. We just need to advise people to try as best as they can to resolve issues utilising other means as opposed to utilising fatal means. Injuries either by way of gunshot or otherwise. It has a lot to do with how you manage yourself at home or within your domestic or social setting. And that will determine how we can reduce the amount of incidents we’re seeing.”
The motive behind the fatal shooting of Belize Defence Force soldier Private Clive Baizar remains unclear. Reports indicate that Baizar and his colleague, Lance Corporal Alfred Robinson, were on duty at the Conservation Post in Crique Sarco when a disagreement between the two escalated into violence. While it is uncertain whether alcohol played a role in the incident, Brigadier General Azariel Loria stated that it cannot yet be ruled out.
Brigadier General Azariel Loria
Brigadier General Azariel Loria, B.D.F.
“At this point in time, we do not rule out alcohol. The investigators, we passed the, the situation, the whole incident to the police department to investigate it. But we too, we have, we are investigating it parallel to the police department and we are not ruling it out. We were requested, as part of the regulations that they provide blood specimens, blood samples to which all but one complied. So, if the only person that did not comply is the prime suspect of the fatality. But all have been tested, their blood was taken or withdrawn by a qualified doctor in Punta Gorda and the samples were brought to Belize City for tests. So it’s thirteen of them and one refused. He even signed on the paper that he is foregoing that. From what we have been updated so far is that yesterday, Private Baizar and Lance Corporal Robinson were bantering, essentially, outside on the veranda of the building, where they are occupying it and it is when the Lance Corporal decided to go inside of the building, he got a smack, a big smack from Private Beiser, with allegedly using some words “Bwai go inside and leave me alone” because of the bantering. I think that the bantering was getting heavier. But the smack, some could classify it as a punch. It was too hard Probably that is what got to the Lance Corporal and he went inside the building Cranked his weapon or cocked his weapon in the military term for it and came in back outside and pull the trigger.”
It’s been nearly two weeks since Giovanni Ramirez was gunned down in broad daylight in Belize City. Ramirez is most notably known as the whistleblower in the case that led to the conviction and imprisonment of attorney Oscar Selgado. Ramirez was shot on Amandala Drive while he was driving toward Mahogany Street, and it’s believed that two men on a motorcycle ambushed him. However, police have yet to locate these suspects and make an arrest. Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams, provided an update.
Reporter
“Giovanni Ramirez. Has there been an update? I know last you said that people were being sought.”
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“Those persons who we were looking for at that particular moment have been found. They have not been able to get anything tangible from them, and so they released the investigators to come to the area looking for evidence. And we invite anyone who has any information that they believe can help us in solving that murder to please come forward, and let’s see what we can do.”
The tranquil village of Gales Point Manatee was rocked last week by the tragic death of thirty-nine-year-old Randy Bowen, who was fatally stabbed at his home shortly after returning from work. The incident stemmed from a family dispute between Bowen and his stepfather. Tonight Commissioner of Police Chester Williams revealed that investigators are now examining whether the fatal act was one of self-defence.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“The file went to the D.P.P. office. And D.P.P. has directed, or the D.P.P. representative has directed that the police do more investigation because there may seem to be some element of self-defence.”
Police are actively searching for suspects linked to a fatal crash on the George Price Highway last Thursday evening. The collision occurred around 7:20 p.m. near Mile 47 and claimed the life of 50-year-old Maria Caal Xi, a Guatemalan national residing in Cotton Tree Village, Cayo. Authorities arrived at the scene to find a heavily damaged grey 1999 Toyota pickup and a wrecked 2025 Chevrolet Camaro about 30 feet away. The pickup’s driver, 70-year-old Manuel Juarez, told police that he saw a speeding vehicle approach before feeling an impact and losing consciousness. Witnesses reported that the Camaro’s driver fled the scene by jumping over a roadside barrier and disappearing into nearby bushes. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams provided an update on the ongoing investigation earlier today.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“I don’t think we have found that person as yet. He was still being sought by the police.”
Reporter
“How is it that they have evaded if da just bushes?”
Chester Williams
“Well, the amount of time he had a good lead before the police got there he perhaps know the area well, and so he was able to escape. We’re hoping that we’ll be able to find him.”
Over the weekend, a video surfaced on social media showing a vehicle crashing into the back of a flatbed truck in Santa Elena, Cayo. The impact caused the vehicle to flip onto its side, but fortunately, no serious injuries were reported. The video has since sparked debate over who was at fault, with some pointing out the slow speed at which the truck was travelling. Today, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams shared his perspective on the incident. Here’s what he had to say.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“They do have speed limits specified in the laws. I think in towns and cities it is for trucks and buses; it is fifteen miles per hour, and for other people I think it’s twenty-five miles. I’m not too sure, but there are speed limits. And I did see that that incident where the SUV clipped the rear end of a flatbed, and then eventually that matter has been dealt with by the police. Obviously, the driver of the SUV is a thug, and I believe that he has been dealt with by the police.”
A violent brawl erupted last week at JR’s Bar in Punta Gorda, involving multiple patrons and resulting in chaos. A video of the incident shows furious customers hurling bottles and causing extensive damage to the establishment. In response, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams has called for the suspension of the bar’s liquor license. Speaking today, Commissioner Williams stressed the need for bars to bolster security measures to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.
Reporter
“ What about a bar brawl in Punta Gorda? Is it the case where every bar is required to have a police on duty or security on duty?”
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“In terms of the bar brawl in Punta Gorda, those persons who are involved have been detained by the police and being charged. We encourage bar owners to ensure that when they are committing, they have security present. We are working with the liquor licensing board to ensure that when. We know when the extensions are issued, the extension clearly stipulates that they must have security. Police officers working there. But in the ordinary course of them opening outside of the extension period, that’s a different story. So we need to see how we can get them to be able to ensure that security is also present when they have when they are open during the ordinary opening hours.”
Reporter
“Was the petition to the Legal Licensing Court to rescind this or suspend this bar owners license, was that ever sent?”
Chester Williams
“That instruction has been given to the legal office and they’re working with the O.C. in Toledo. to have that done.”
The 2025 legal year has officially commenced with the ceremonial opening of the High Court, a longstanding tradition marked by reverence and reflection. Amidst a light drizzle, Chief Justice Louise Blenman inspected the ceremonial guard of honour, embodying the resilience and commitment of the judiciary. Her address highlighted significant achievements of the past year, including the reduction of case backlogs, the introduction of criminal mediation, and a push towards digital transformation in the courts. As the judiciary looks ahead, new initiatives aim to further enhance the efficiency and accessibility of justice in Belize. News Five’s Marion Ali was there and has the following report.
Marion Ali, Reporting
As per tradition, the ceremony marking the High Court’s official opening kicked off with a church service. This year, it was held at the Holy Redeemer Cathedral on the Northside of the Swing Bridge. In attendance were the Governor-General, Dame Froyla T’Zalam; Prime Minister John Briceño; Leader of the Opposition, Moses “Shyne” Barrow; members of the Judiciary, the Bar Association, and the Attorney General. Upon arrival in front of the court buildings and amidst a persistent drizzle, Chief Justice Louise Blenman inspected a guard of honour, conducted by members of the Belize Police Department. Just like the rain did not let up, neither did the plan to abort through with the parade, as the Chief Justice and everyone who was a part of the ceremony pressed on—the CJ under the shelter of an umbrella. Chief Justice Blenman said that the 2024 calendar was successful in reducing the backlog of cases through a number of improvements within the judicial system. One was the opening of a High Court in Belmopan and the appointment of more judges and expediting court rulings. There’s also been the introduction of criminal mediation, which has further reduced the backlog. These efforts have resulted in the waiting time for people on trial.
Louise Blenman
Louise Blenman, Chief Justice of Belize
“Three major reforms impacted the High Court: the resuscitation of the mediation committee, which was expanded into the alternative dispute resolution committee; training of a new cohort of court-connected mediators; and the implementation of the senior civil procedure rules 2025. We no longer have cases as old as fourteen years on the dockets. In just one year, the judges have been able to reduce the backlog of cases largely from fourteen years to four years. A comparative analysis of 2023 and 2024 statistics provided by the prison further reveals that persons are no longer spending an inordinate amount of time on remand prior to their matter being sent down for trial.”
The overall turnaround time for processes to be completed at the criminal High Courts has been reduced significantly due to a set of transformational initiatives that have been put in place. She noted that this year, a professional administrative plan will be implemented for legally trained staff.
Louise Blenman
”With the support from PACE Justice Program, we are hoping to have a consultant with the requisite expertise in court administration assist us in finalizing our in house developed court administration plan. It cannot be overstated. hat any modern judiciary requires a court administrator to manage non-law aspects of our courts effectively and efficiently.”
The Chief Justice also spoke of the hope for further upgrades, such as the digitalisation of the courts’ registry and the use of AI.
Louise Blenman
“We will explore the possibility of having our registry completely digitalized, including the probe division. We are hoping to ethically explore the use of artificial intelligence system software to deal with non-contentious aspects of the court’s work. This should alleviate some of the human resource challenges that we face.”
And while Chief Justice Blenman pointed out several of the judiciary’s new strengths, there was one area that she highlighted that could use some improvement.
Louise Blenman
“The listing of cases for hearing in the Court of Appeal seriously impeded by the lack of availability of high court trial transcripts. An unfortunate consequence of the lack of trial transcripts is that relatively few appeals are ready to be listed for hearing. As a corollary, the dispensation of justice is ingloriously stemmed at the level of the appellate court. The situation is untenable and is caused to a large extent by the difficulties with the recording technology that was used in the high courts over the years and also the paucity of stenographer trainees to produce the transcripts.”
This weakness in the system will be addressed, the CJ assured, and shared that in 2024, counsels for the parties in appeal cases have been urged to use their personal notes of agreed records of lower court proceedings in order to get some of the appeal cases heard. Funding has been provided, she said, to attain a speech-to-text system to expedite that process.
President of the Bar Association, William Lindo, commended the judiciary for the achievements over the past year.
William Lindo
William Lindo, President, Bar Association of Belize
”We applaud the judiciary under the able stewardship of Her Ladyship, the Chief Justice, for the remarkable achievements accomplished over the past year, which include of the long awaited Senior Court Civil Procedure Rules, which brings with it a raft of practice directions and sentencing guidelines, court connected criminal mediation rules, judicial settlement conferences, numerous training sessions and conferences, Under the auspices of the Judicial Education Institute of the Senior Courts of Belize, with training and sensitization for the new Senior Court Civil Procedure Rules, scheduled to take place this Thursday.”
The Attorney General, Anthony Sylvestre, spoke of the various bills that are designed to improve the delivery of justice. He spoke about the new Bail Act that will be introduced shortly.
Anthony Sylvestre
Anthony Sylvestre, Attorney General
“ Currently, the provisions that govern bail are found in six pieces of legislation. Having so many different pieces of legislation that governs the same issue is therefore counterproductive, as it may become difficult to discern how the law operates. Having a single piece of legislation on bail therefore improves, improves unity and cohesion and makes the law easier to understand. In addition to centralizing the provisions relating to bail, this new act will introduce some much-needed features in bail proceedings, some of which includes an appeals process against a decision refusing bail, a process that allows for the revision of a decision on bail. The requirement that the decision, the deciding official shall provide reasons in considering a bail application, and a comprehensive list of factors that a deciding official shall consider when determining a bail applications.”
CJ Blenman took time to pay gratitude to the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing for the newly refurbished court buildings, with new amenities and furniture. Marion Ali for News Five.
In December, the Belize National Teachers Union (B.N.T.U.) voted to stage a protest this month to pressure the Briceño Administration to address the long-overdue payment of teachers’ outstanding increments. However, with January nearly over, there has been no indication of when—or if—the demonstration will occur. The government had pledged in December to settle these payments before the end of 2024. Today, B.N.T.U. President Nadia Caliz appeared on Open Your Eyes, where she provided an update on the status of the planned protest.
Nadia Caliz, President, B.N.T.U.
“Belize is used to seeing BNTU in a more confrontational approach. And we have decided to change our strategy. I want to come straight to what is on the minds of the members, the demonstration membership voted on. I made it clear to you in my interview in December that the membership voted for, and my membership needs to remember this: they voted for a demonstration in January. January first to the thirty-first is still January. And you see, the union is a very powerful organisation, and my union needs to understand that we don’t need to flex our wings and show how powerful we are. We know our strength, how capable we are, and sometimes it is good just to sit a little, watch the people as they make their move, because it is like we are playing chess right now. Then you know when you need to come in. Some people are used to this. But it is 2025. You have to know how to achieve your goals.”
Paul Lopez
“But you sat for twenty days in January.”
Nadia Caliz
“Let me tell you what we are doing. The government used what we call the Pontius Pilate approach. We also call it the hush money approach. We just can’t come out and say we are going to demonstrate against the government because the government gave the money to the management. What we need to do is ensure that teachers who are supposed to be paid are paid. So, what we are doing is from January first up to Friday was gathering data. The council met last week. They came with data, but it was not complete. So, we sent them back. They voted to go back. So, school reps are involved, some principals. So, we need the data. We need to know how many teachers and staff got their increments; some were given three months when they were owed six months. We need to have accurate data.”
