Belize prison escape attempt leaves inmate critical after guard shooting

Belize: An attempt to escape prison leaves 30-year-old Nyrere Parchue shot and in critical condition after he swiftly tried to escape the Belize Central Prison on Tuesday morning. 

According to sources, the incident took place around nine o’clock on August 12 when the tower guards observed the 30-year-old in prohibited prison grounds. The guards gave Nyrere multiple verbal warnings to return to his cell. But he refused to comply and began making his way towards the fence. 

Reportedly Nyrere jumped into a water ditch and proceeded to run towards the fence. The prison officers pursued him, shooting their firearms 7 times in the air for Nyrere to stop but he didn’t. 

Nyrere proceeded to scale the fence and upon reaching the top of the fence the officers had to make a decision. Acting within their jurisdiction the prison guard officers shot Nyrere twice on the head and on the neck. 

Nyrere was then transferred to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in an ambulance where he remains in critical condition. 

Speaking on the shooting incident of an attempted prisoner escape, Director of the Belize Central Prison Virgilo Murillo, Virgilio Murillo commented that Nyrere had to have  made a calculated decision to escape due to the distance between the prison areas and the fence. 

Murillo noted that the 30-year old with his release set to be on September 21, 2025 had never previously shown any signs of wanting to escape.  

“You never want to injure a prisoner that's why 7 warning shots were fired,” he further explained that the officers that shot him as he was already up the fence and almost to the other side of the wall,  acted under the Prison Act that allows guards to shoot inmates if necessary to stop their escape. 

“We couldn't let him escape to wreak havoc in the society or put the society in danger so the guards had to prevent him from escaping.”  

According to information Nyrere had  been in prison since 21st of July 2025 and he was set to be released on September 20, 2025 serving exactly 3 months in prison. 

Murillo highlighted that even though he had a criminal history, Nyrere never once indicated that he was planning on escape even from his previous jail time. Which puzzles even him why now?

“The only person that can answer the question of why an inmate with only 3 months would attempt to escape in that manner is him.”

Medical officers' feedback reported that they saw nothing in the health system program to assure that he was psychiatric.