7 News Belize

Cost Still Puzzled Over Gungulung Murder
posted (April 12, 2017)

Police are still puzzled by Monday night’s Gungulung Bridge murder. 39 year old Rafael Guerra was shot dead near his Holy Emanuel Street home. Now there are different theories as to the motive, and, as we told you last night in our story, the family has its own suspicions. One report is that the Salvadoran man who rented a room at Guerra’s home may have planned or been involved in the attack and another report is that the Salvadoran man was the intended target and not Guerra. Well, police have detained this man for questioning. Today Southside Commander Chester Williams said they are still trying to fill in the loose ends in this case.

ACP Chester Williams, Commander - Eastern Division South
"This murder is one that really has us thinking. We are still trying to arrive at a motive but in answering your question about how we are dealing with situation like that - I think that we have to develop a system where we can monitor these persons that are coming in that we can get to know who they are because we do have a lot of persons who have been engaged in gang activities in Salvador who are in Belize. Some of them may have put behind them their gang affiliation while some of them will bring it so we need to monitor them and see how we can clip their wings when they come to Belize so that's something that we need to do."

Jules Vasquez
"Sir now that murder happened the hours after you all had that big mediation session at Raccoon street - there was that murder. Was that murder gang related, were the actors in that murder linked to one of the city gangs? And that is a particular troublesome gang area being the bakalangs area."

ACP Chester Williams
"From our investigation, no it is not gang related and we have not received any information to suggest that any of the gangs or particularly those who are involved in the intervention involvement in that particular murder so...no."

Reporter
"So then is it suspected that it was the gentleman who just came who was being sought?"

ACP Chester Williams
"From investigation standpoint we must explore all possible angles and that's an angle we are looking at. I'm not going to say yes it's him or not him but he is a suspect and he's in custody and being interviewed."

Williams said the murder is not gang-related. 

The report is that this Salvadoran man had been renting a room at the downstairs of the Guerra’s home and moved out Sunday night, the night before Guerra was killed. We will keep following this case.

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