7 News Belize

Crazy Cayo Murder Like A Wild West Shooutout
posted (May 11, 2016)

A businessman from the western village of Duck Run 3 was shot and killed at a bar last night after 11.  59 year old Jose Anibal Molina Estrada went to have a few drinks at the Pasadita Bar near Spanish Lookout. But the trouble began when his business rival, Eddy Larios and his friends 64 year old Guillermo Guerra and 52 year old Duck Run Chairman Victor Ismael Perez, walked into the bar.

Now the confrontation among these men wasn’t any ordinary bar brawl – there was sort of a Wild Wild West standoff between Estrada and Larios - in which both drew their licensed 9 millimeter pistols and fired at each other. We traveled West to find out what might have led to this bizarre and deadly shootout.

These cows cooling off under the tree are only 2 of Jose Estrada’s heads of cattle

The rest are scattered all about Estrada’s farm land in Selena Village. Every morning after 3, Estrada and his workers would come to the farm land and milk the cows. Estrada and his team would then package the milk

And deliver them to Western Dairies in Spanish Lookout. That was Estrada’s daily routine for almost all his life.

And just recently managing the grocery store he built right next to his Duck Run 3 house became another part of his enterprise.
Estrada was a well-established businessman in the village. But last night, those same business ventures that brought him and his family prosperity led to his death:

After a hard day at his farm, Estrada would normally hang out here at the Pasadita Bar near Spanish Lookout and yesterday was no different.

He was having a few beers but that’s when Eddy Larios and 2 friends, Guillermo Guerra and Victor Perez walked in.

There was hard talk among the men and Estrada pulled out his gun and shot towards the men – injuring all 3. Larios then drew his gun and fired back – killing Estrada.

It was a wild shoot out at this small roadside bar – as many as 17 expended shells were found on the scene– and lying near all those bullets in the dirt, soaked with his blood, was Estrada. The other injured men jumped in their vehicle and sped off to the La Luma Luz Hospital.

Now how could an exchange of words lead to such a wild gunfight? Well the family declined on camera comment but they told us that Estrada and Larios were rivals for many years – they were always competing. Larios had his farm land and cattle and supplied Western Dairies with milk as well. So it was always a question of who had the most cattle and supplied more milk. It might sound petty for these grown men but they both took their business and pride very seriously. Sure there were other elements that could have fuelled the rancor between these 2 businessmen but now all that doesn’t matter because that old beef is squashed and unfortunately, it comes at the cost of a life.

When we spoke to police this evening, they told us they could not confirm if there was any long-standing rivalry between Estrada and Larios. They say that was never reported to police before this incident. All the police have right now is that alcohol is one factor that might have led to the shootout. Estrada was shot to the arm pit and buttocks several times, and he was found dead lying face down in the dirt with his gun still in his hand. 

As for the 3 injured men: Guillermo Guerra who was hit in the left foot was treated and released. But Larios who was shot to the shoulder, stomach and hip and Perez who was struck to the stomach are both at the KHMH in a critical but stable condition. Police told us that after all the information is gathered they will send it to the Director of Public Prosecution for her advice on charges.

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