7 News Belize

Another Canadian Killed In Corozal
posted (October 5, 2017)
Corozal residents are shaken tonight after another Canadian has been killed in their town, this time in the Chula Vista area.

38 year old Gabriel Bochnia was shot and killed in front of his home last night after 10:00. Bochnia and his family had just come back from a Chetunmal trip. They had taken Bochnia's parents to get the bus to Cancun and then to Canada. But now, his parents have to return to Belize - this time it's not for a vacation but for their son's funeral. Courtney Weatherburne went to Corozal today to find out about the deadly late night encounter.

Courtney Weatherburne reporting
Gabriel and Jeshanah Bochnia had been married for 7 Years. They were blessed with 3 beautiful children. But the joy captured in this Christmas photo was taken from them last night.

Voice of: Neighbor 1
"Around 10:20pm I would say, there was a storm, thunder, lightning, whatever, but I was getting ready to sleep and when I heard what sounded to me like gunshots."

Those gunshots struck Gabriel Bochnia to his stomach. Gabriel and the family had just parked in front of their house after a trip to Chetumal. Gabriel barely made it out of his truck when the gunman known to police as Polo ran up to him and fired two shots - one hit him and caused the fatal injury:

Voice of: Neighbor 2
"I heard a noise, so the first thing what I did about this noise, I opened my window to see what's happening, because like how there was thunder and raining i just opened to see what happened and then I see this guy dropping on the floor."

After shooting Gabriel, the gunman turned the gun to his wife, Jeshanah but it misfired. He then ran off leaving Jeshanah screaming for help and her kids frozen in shock and fear in the back seat of the truck. The neighbor then came out to help.

Voice of: Neighbor 2
"I just open the door again and I went to help her. I tried to put him in the pick up - the 3 of us tried to put him in the pick up and then he was so heavy, so we tried to pull him up, because we see that he needed help. This little boy, his son, came down from the truck to see his dad. He was saying they shoot dad and I just tried to put him back in the pick up so we could go, because we can't left the kids."

"We took the kids and we put him in the pick up and we just drive to go."

Courtney Weatherburne, reporter
"The children, they saw everything."

Voice of: Neighbor 2
"The two smaller ones saw everything, because the other little girl was sleeping. With a key from the house we put on the engine and we went to the hospital."

But despite their best efforts to race Gabriel to the hospital. He didn't make it. At this point no one can say for sure why Bochnia was targeted but according to his neighbor, it seems the gunman was hiding out in the dark, ready to pounce on Bochnia.

Courtney Weatherburne, reporter
"The street was dark last night. There are no lights on the street."

Voice of: Neighbor 2
"Yeah it was dark, but we tried to help this man."

Courtney Weatherburne, reporter
"So its only the lightning that actually helped you guys to see what was happening?"

Voice of: Neighbor 2
"Yeah."

Courtney Weatherburne, reporter
"Is it a situation that he was here waiting for them to come back in the dark?"

Voice of: Neighbor 2
"Well I could say yes, because that was like something fast. I just see that flash came into my house and then I heard this noise. So, that means he was out there waiting for them, because the truck was not there. So, he must have waited for them to come."

Whatever the motive, a young woman is now widowed and 3 kids are left fatherless. It's a shock to many because according to residents, Gabriel was a hardworking contractor and a friendly neighbor.

Voice of: Neighbor 1
"He is my neighbor and he is a contractor. He does blueprints for building houses. As far as I know I think for the past 6 years I know him. That was his job."

Voice of: Neighbor 2
"This guy was not a bad guy. He was a good guy. Gabriel was like a happy man. He didn't have any problems. Well we know him like that and he was a nice person with us. Anything you need, anything you ask him for a favor, he will never say no and he was a kind man even with the animals, he was a kind man."

And all that doubt after an execution like this, still hangs for Canadian Francesca Matus. Matus and her boyfriend Drew Devoursney were found dead in Chan Chen Corozal in May. Gabriel Bochnia is the second Canadian murdered in Corozal in 6 months, leaving more broken families desperate for answers.

We will keep following this case - but police aren't saying anything about possible motives or suspects. They only said that they recovered two 9 millimeter shells from the scene.

Bochnia becomes the third Canadian to be slain in Corozal in the last 4 years. As noted in the story, Francesca Matus was killed earlier this year, and 57 year-old Canadian Patricia Lynn Nichiporowich was murdered in Consejo Village in 2013.

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