Shots fired in the San Pedrito neighborhood of San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize resulted in the unfortunate death of a two-year-old boy and injuries to his mother as assailants targeted the head of the household. The incident took place in the early morning hours of Tuesday, February 24, 2015.
Police reports state the bullets rang into the sleeping neighborhood of the San Pedrito area at around 1:40a.m. directed at the residence of Rolando Espat. Nine expended shells were discovered by the police at the crime scene as bullets pierced through the house straight into the bedroom where the family was sleeping. Aleyda Sandoval, Daniel Espat and her common-law- husband Rolando Espat were at home sleeping in their apartment room located on the lower flat of a two storey wooden structure when they heard several loud bangs after which she realized that she and her baby had been injured.
In the process two-year-old Daniel Espat was fatally shot in the head and his mother 33-year-old Aleyda Espat was shot in the arm and back. The baby boy succumbed to his injuries while the mother is receiving treatment for her wounds, with a bullet still lodged in her back. Rolando Espat, who was also inside the house at the time of the shooting, did not receive any injuries.
Police have since detained a 16-year-old male of San Pedrito Area and are still investigating the incident; it is believed that Roland Espat was the target of the assailants.
