Belize: Four killed in shooting, Police investigate possible gang-related links

Belize: Four people, including a 16-year-old boy, were killed in a shooting on Friday morning along the Coastal Plain Highway. Police are investigating a possible connection of this incident with Thursday’s murder of 19-year-old Dodrick Madrill.

The four victims have been identified as 16-year-old David Usher from Freedom Street; 33-year-old Lloyd Leslie from Armadillo Street; 23-year-old Robert Gladden and 23-year-old Dayton Palacio, both residents of Freedom Street in Belize City.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Stacy Smith said that the Major Crimes Unit was informed about the shooting incident around 8:15 am on Friday, October 30, 2026. The police found the red Ford Escape overturned between Miles 21 and 22 of the Coastal Plain Highway, with several apparent bullet holes.

Three men were found unconscious at the scene, while Palacio was taken to Southern Regional Hospital, where he died due to his injuries.

Police have also stopped a vehicle of interest that was traveling towards Belize City and arrested five men for questioning. No guns were found in the vehicle.

Investigators have also turned their attention to the possibility that Friday's shooting might be connected to the killing of 19-year-old Dodrick Salvador Miguel Madrill, who was shot dead on Freedom Street on Thursday, October 29, 2026.

A previous case involving firearms from February 2025 involves Madrill, Gladden, and Palacio. The three were arrested following the discovery of an unlicensed 9mm pistol along with 13 rounds of ammunition at a residence on Freedom Street. Madrill pleaded guilty and admitted to owning the gun, while Gladden and Palacio pleaded not guilty.

While the previous case has shown a connection between the three men, the police have not yet confirmed if it had anything to do with the recent killings.

During Friday’s press briefing, Smith said that investigators were examining whether the incidents were connected. She also suggested that some attacks might have been due to conflicts inside the criminal groups, not between different rival gangs.

Investigators are also examining Wednesday’s shooting at a residence in Belmopan, involving paralyzed street figure Ronlee Petillo. This resulted in injuries to a 19-year-old woman, but police have not established a connection to Friday’s quadruple murder.

The police are also monitoring surveillance footage from the La Democracia junction and another intersection on the Coastal Plain Highway that links to Southern Belize in an effort to identify those responsible.

A probe into the four killings and their connection to the other shootings remains ongoing.