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Today Police Minister John Saldivar noted his passing in the House of Representatives - AND Monica Bodden went back to the scene of the crime in Hattieville:

Hon. John Saldivar, Minister of Police
"I want to extend deepest condolences for the family of Cpl. 2003 Victor Lima who passed away early this morning at 2am at the KHMH hospital after undergoing two surgeries. The injuries that led to his death were sustained while in the line of duty on Tuesday night. Cpl. Lima was 35 years old, born on October 15, 1977 and was a resident of Benque Viejo Town in the Cayo District."

Monica Bodden reporting
The police flag at the Hattieville Police Station flew at half-mast today as the entire community mourns the death of Corporal Victor Lima.

The 35 year old Corporal succumbed to his injuries around 2 this morning after suffering from complications due to gunshot wounds to the chest.

Gilroy Domingo - Chairman of Hattieville
"Well this officer was one of the ones that we would have called - the one who comes and do his job and when he is finish he would head back to Benque where he lived."

He is a senior officer, so more than likely he control the movements of everybody. He is always on the job and always doing what he does - that we know of him to do to be the snior officer and stuff. When this happen we were kinda surprise that he had to be the one that came out and actually face the music. We are kind of saddened by it because the entire village know him - most of the people who pass around the station knows him and even the ones that have interaction with him know the tyoe of police he was - you could have trusted him to really do whatever police he had to do. I never really had any problem with him at all, so this is a loss for us.

Corporal Victor Lima, was shot in the line of duty while responding to a home invasion in Hattieville on Tuesday night.

The incident happened not too far away from the Hattieville police station - This cut-off from off the highway, leads you directly to where the shooting took place - That night 29 year old Shakira Smith and a 17 year old girl were allegedly held hostage at gunpoint by the home invader identified as 30 year-old Delford Slusher.

When police responded to the area, Slusher allegedly fired the shots at Corporal Lima - hitting him twice to the chest.

Corporal Lima fell outside the bungalow house.

Monica Bodden
"You understand what went on that night?"

Gilroy Domingo - Chairman of Hattieville
"He was responding to a report that was made according what I understand that there was somebody in the house having some kind of problem in the house and that's when the person walked over the station and made a report. He had to walk over here because they don't have a vehicle right now - it's been a couple weeks since the vehicle is not working."

"That's the situation walking over here. Even when he got shot according to the other police officers they had to get a ride to take him down to Belize City so that he didn't bleed to death. One of the things that we the villagers here in Hattieville needs to do is to get the officials in looking to get us something that the village and all the other 8 villages that the police have to safeguard and patrol - that we have something appropriate that we can cover these places more."

Marion Ali, reporter
"My question would delve a little deeper into just the need for a vehicle, just the other day the police department got a handsome donation from the US government of some life vest as well - now this officer was walking into a situation here without any kind of lifeguard, life vest. Do you know as the chairman that any of that donations did come to this station?"

Gilroy Domingo - Chairman of Hattieville
"We don't really follow up on the personal things that happen within the department."

Marion Ali, reporter
"But it must concern you that he got struck without wearing...."

Gilroy Domingo - Chairman of Hattieville
"It's very unfortunate because we would expect that a officer would be prepared in the situation that he actually assisted in - prepared as to be well secured with a vest and different things that they do - backup and different things like that, so it's surprising that it happen to him but we also would also want it to be a wakeup call or the rest of the officers - the good officers who serve us and come from far and dedicate their self to us and as you can see now their life to us in protecting us that they have to protect themselves too."

Lima was from Benque Viejo Town and we visited his family today - but they declined comment. HE had no children, but helped provide for his family in Benque.

He joined the police in 2002 and at the time of his death, was assigned to the Eastern Division Patrol Branch. The charge against Delford Slusher will now be upgraded to murder - the second time he has been charged with that offence; he got off the first one in 2006.

He also faces charges of Attempt Murder, Dangerous Harm, Aggravated Burglary, Unlawful Imprisonment and possession of unlicensed ammunition.