Last night we told you about the truly shocking crime that unfolded yesterday in the heart of San Ignacio Town, as gunmen jacked the Bowen and Bowen deposit deliver crew. They came asking no questions and just shooting first. But they were met by a formidable Bowen security guard – who lost his life while defending the deposit. It is both an outrage and a tragedy but fortunately tonight, it is also a case closed as police worked with impressive pace to make arrests and gather the weapons and the money. I found out more in Cayo today.

Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
This bullet hole in the wall about fifteen feet away from the Belize Bank night deposit box is the only evidence left behind of the lawless armed assault that unfolded around five twenty on Monday evening. Bowen and Bowen security guards Millard Tun and Josiah Thompson had just pulled up to drop off the company’s daily deposit when they both came under fire.

It appears as if the gunmen identified as twenty five year old Arden Garoy and twenty five year old Elvis Duncan were waiting inside this blue taxi car driven at the time by twenty four year old Delan Graham. As the gunmen fired the security guards responded. During the shoot out security guard and former Police Sgt. Millard Tun was struck in the face while Chief Security Office, himself a former police Sgt. Josiah Thompson, was hit in the neck but although badly wounded he still managed to shoot one of the gunmen.

Gilroy Spence, General Manager – Bowen & Bowen Cayo
“When we got the location all we saw were shells, expended shells on the floor and then we were informed that they had already took them to the hospital.”

Sr. Supt Paul Wade, Cayo Police
“A blue car drove up with three occupants. One of the occupants alighted and started firing shots along with the security officers. In doing so two of the security guards were injured and the gunman was also injured. Security officer Josiah Thompson was rushed to the La Loma Luz Hospital where he died. Security officer Millard Tun was also rushed to the hospital in a serious condition and was later transported to Belize City Hospital for further treatment.”

Gilroy Spence,
“He was shot, I believe in the eye and through the side of the head but the bullet is lodged somewhere in the skull but according to information they won’t be able to do anything until the swollen goes down.

They were ambushed. The came to make a drop and the gunman were there waiting and as soon as they came out of the vehicle, they were ambushed. They have been trained in this kind of thing so I guess even going down they knew they had to get off a shot so I know his last resort was just to aim and shoot and going down he shot the guy.”

It is reported that as the gunmen fled the area, the taxi driver Delan Parham jumped out of the car to help the wounded gunman Arden Garoy. That is when eyewitnesses where able to positively identify him and informed the police who acted quickly and apprehended their first suspect.

Sr. Supt Paul Wade,
“Initially he was saying that the persons who conducted this crime were Guatemalans. We did not buy his story and so we, as I said, quick police investigation cleared that up pretty quickly and we were able, within two hours after the incident to capture all three of them and we were able to recover the cash and the weapons.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
Is it true that in his defense he is also telling the police he was held up at gunpoint and forced to go to that location?

Sr. Supt Paul Wade,
“Yes he did mention this to the police as I said but we did not buy that story at all. We were able quickly to use the resources that we have to clarify that and that is the reason why we were able to capture the balance, or the rest of them, very quickly.”

It is believed Delan Parham led police to the gunmen Elvis Duncan and Arden Garoy. It was at this house that Cayo Police found one of their main suspects. He has been identified as 25 year old Arden Garoy. Garoy was bleeding profusely from gunshot wounds he had received to his left foot, buttock, and head.

Sr. Supt Paul Wade,
“He was found in a very very serious condition at the residence and was taken immediately to the hospital by police.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
Whose residence?

Sr. Supt Paul Wade,
“From what I recall, it is a residence of one of his sister.”

And just behind the house police found in some high bushes a white crocus bag with a red and black jacket, dark colour cap a twenty-two Ruger rifle, a green and white Belikin hand bag with two bank deposit bags and an undisclosed amount of money wrapped in a female black short pants.

As the cops continued to search the area it did not take long before they had their other suspect in custody. However as Elvis Duncan saw the police he tried to get away but injured himself after jumping over a fence. Tonight he is under police guard recovering at the Western Regional Hospital. Officer in charge of Cayo Police Sr. Supt. Paul
Wade says it was great team effort by the police and community that led to the quick apprehension.

Sr. Supt Paul Wade,
“We are very confident that those are the three persons who pulled off this serious crime. They are Mr. Delan Parham of Santa Elena, Cayo; Mr. Arden Garoy, and Mr. Duncan, Elvis Duncan, both of them from Elridge Village in the Toledo District.”

To have pulled off such a brazen hold-up, robbery, and murder only a stones throw away from the main police building and in a downtown area of San Ignacio, authorities strongly believe it was well planned and that for quite some time the robbers may have been monitoring the security guards’ movements until the gunmen made their move.

Jacqueline Godwin,
Usually when businesses go to deposit large sums of money, it is not public knowledge. Do you believe that this may have been an inside job or maybe the team may have been followed for quite some time, monitoring their movements?

Glroy Spence,
“It is quite possible. It is hard to say at this time because there is a lot of speculation but it is quite possible because based on what they were saying, as soon as they came out they ambushed so there had to be some sort of a setup that they know that the vehicle was coming and the vehicle parked and they fired shots because based on what I heard, as soon as they walked out of the vehicle to make the deposit they were ambushed.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
But you believe it may have been an inside job or have they been followed for some time?

Gilroy Spence,
“It is hard to say Jackie. I will just let the police do their work because it could have been an inside job and it could be somebody just monitoring us.”

Sr. Supt Paul Wade,
“We are investigating all angles but it appears so far that it is possible that they were monitoring the activities of the Bowen and Bowen vehicle.”

But with two murders already in just forty eight hours Cayo Police will have to do what they can quickly restore any the sense of security that may have been lost.

Sr. Supt Paul Wade,
“I do not think crime is out of hand. I maintain that we are doing a very good job working alongside the people of Cayo, we have a lot of volunteers working along with us here.”

Gilroy Spence,
“Management has been working on security measures all morning and we will beef up security. We are putting some strong measures in place and we hope that that will at least deter because for them to be ambushed, that was the first. Normally guys would come to you and say this is a stickup but in this it was a shout out. This was a outright shoot out.

I just hope they get what they deserve and I hope that justice prevails and no little, how can I say it, no lawyer comes and get these guys off when they have deprived two families because we don’t know Tun is going to come back. So they have deprived two families and I don’t see no way they could justify doing that to anybody.”

Sr. Supt Paul Wade,
“We won’t tolerate any type of criminal activity. The police is here to try to prevent however if the crime is committed then we have to also effectively and efficiently investigate and bring those who are responsible to justice and I think that alone will tell the police what we are doing and will continue to do that.

We are stepping up our patrols, we will continue to do that. It is very very important and we’ve been looking at all the business areas. We want to advise them again that if you see anything suspicious, don’t take it for granted – call us and we will respond. But we need to work together and I believe that we are doing that here in Cayo. These are two unfortunate incidents that occurred recently but as I said I think we are dealing with them and we are dealing with them effectively.”

But it is no consolation to the family who has lost a man they say was truly a good brother, father and security officer.

Roger Young, Brother
“My brother was an ex-police officer and as such he was very disciplined. He loved his family, he loved his children, his brothers, his sisters, and he was fun filled gun going.”

Martha Christian, Sister
“Well I want to see justice done because my brother didn’t deserve to die like this. He hasn’t done anything wrong to anyone and so I would like to see justice.”

Roger Young,
“No because even when he was a police officer, he had minor incidents and so but over at Bowen and Bowen this has never happened before and so it is something senseless that happened and he was there securing the property for Bowen and Bowen.”

Chief Security officer Josiah Thompson is expected to be laid to rest on Thursday.

It is unclear at this time if both of the gunmen will be charged for murder as it appears only Garoy fired the weapon that caused the fatal injury. We’ll have more on that tomorrow.