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ASP Cowo told us more:

ASP Alejandro Cowo- OC CIB
"Just after passing the Burrell Boom Bridge, police arrived and observed a blue in colour four door car on the road side. At about 10 ft. away from the car a male person came out from the bushes. Police observed him as having bruises to the face and also two apparent gunshot wounds on both feet. Also, at about 100 ft. away from the vehicle police managed to find a next person by the name of Dennis Bartley who was suffering from 3 apparent gunshot wounds; one to the stomach, one to the right leg and one to the left hand. Initial information that we received was that Mr. Andrea Gomez, was a security guard at the CD gas station on the Burrell Boom road and at the time he was accompanied by the young man Bartley. Both of them were at the CD compound when they were approached by three male persons, all of them armed. They managed to break into the CD building and stole an undisclosed amount of money. But we understand, from the manager of the business, that it was only some coins and other small items that they took from the gas station. Thereafter, the two male persons were placed inside of Mr. Gomez's vehicle and they drove them towards Burrell Boom Bridge where they were shot whilst inside of the back seat."

Reporter
"Do you know if the robbers intended to kill them? Why weren't they left in the establishment?"

ASP Alejandro Cowo
"What we understand is that, of the three male persons, it was only one of them that drove the vehicle towards that area and there was another vehicle waiting for them somewhere in the Boom Bridge area. Upon the driver stopping the vehicle, he opened the vehicle, where the two persons were, behind the back seat, and fired shots at them."

Reporter
"Was there any surveillance video?"

ASP Alejandro Cowo
"There is surveillance equipment in the business however we understand that that was taken away also by the three suspects."

Reporter
"This place has been robbed some weeks ago, am I right?"

ASP Alejandro Cowo
"No."

Reporter
"Sir, are you sure? The owner indicated to me that it was robbed about a month ago. He is saying that he suspects that it is the same three persons. He also indicated that he handed over the footage to the police."

ASP Alejandro Cowo
"Yes, there is a small footage that police has. But we are talking about the equipment."

Reporter
"Is it your suspicion that the same persons are targeted this business?"

ASP Alejandro Cowo
"We believe that there is a group of male persons that are operating from that Ladyville area and we believe that they are responsible for the many aggravated burglaries and robberies that are occurring on the Phillip Goldson highway; beginning from the Zeta Gas going up to the San Hill area."

7News spoke via telephone today with Stephen Bisset, the owner of the gas station, who is currently out of the country. He told us that the neighbor is not named Dennis Bartley, he is named Daniel Tillett, the son of a neighbor, who lives a short distance from the gas station.

Bisset told us that there was another neighbor who saw the armed assault unfolding, and that person made no less than 16 calls to the 911 emergency number. That person asserts that all of them went unanswered.

Police said there is a problem with the 911 system:...

Reporter
"The owner of the business indicated that the neighbor called the 911 number, I believe, about 16 times and there was no response. Did they indicate to you that the 911 number never responded?"

ASP Alejandro Cowo- OC, CIB
"Yes, we are aware of that information that one of the neighbors was calling although he could not get to the operator at 911."

Reporter
"Is there anything that the police can do to look into that particular issue?"

ASP Alejandro Cowo- OC, CIB
"Yes, it is not the first time that we have been having this problem. Sometimes when you call in 911 you connect to the Orange Walk station, sometimes you get the Ladyville station and sometimes you get the Belize station. It is a problem that we are having with the system and I know that it has been for the past few months that we have been trying to repair that system."

Neighbors and the owners believe is that if any of those 16 calls were properly received by 911 operators, this crime could have been prevented while in progress, and that the assailants wouldn't have been able to kidnap the men, and they most likely, they wouldn't have been shot.

Police say that if you are in rural Belize it might be best to call 205-2022 rather than 911 at this time.