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18 Year Old Murdered, His Father Says It Was His First Night Out
Thu, November 21, 2024
There were two murders in 12 hours in the Cayo district yesterday. The second one happened at a bar coming on to 11:00 pm. A teenager was shot and killed following an altercation in a bar on the outskirts of Belmopan...

There were two murders in 12 hours in the Cayo district yesterday.

The second one happened at a bar coming on to 11:00 pm. A teenager was shot and killed following an altercation in a bar on the outskirts of Belmopan. Jomarie Lanza travelled West today and here's her story:

Just an hour after he left his home in Duck Run 2 last night, 18 year old Jonathan Leonardo was fatally shot in front of Divinas Restaurant and Bar outside Belmopan here on the George Price Highway.

It happened at around 10:45 when Leonardo was involved in a misunderstanding with another patron inside the bar. In an effort to avoid further confrontation, he left and entered a vehicle with two friends. But the man he had the dispute with followed him outside and as Leonardo attempted to drive off, the gunman fired a shot at Leonardo, fatally wounding him. For his family the sequence of events is unbelievable. Jonathan worked alongside his father doing deliveries and had just gotten his driver's license. His father says that he didn't even know his son had left home that night until he received the dreaded call.

Voice of Juan Leonardo, Father of deceased
"Yo de pronto no sabía nada por que ellos me avisaron a mi como las 11 de la noche me avisaron a lo que vi a pasado solo me dijeron que fue al hospital pero sin una respuesta de que lo que vi a pasado. Solo fui allí y nomas cuando yo llegué a la escena lo que mira a Jonathan que ya falleció."

(At first I didn't know anything, because they notified me until around 11. They only told me that he was taken to the hospital but didn't give me any answers as to what had happened.It wasn't until I got there at the scene that they told me look, Jonathan has already passed away.)

According to his family Jonathan wasn't the kind to go out and socialize, in fact this was the first time he had gone out without any of his relatives. And since he spent so much time working with his father, the news hit him the hardest.

Voice of Juan Leonardo, Father of deceased
"Lo que todo un padre pasa estaba destrozado muy triste no por que el es un hijo que creció conmigo A lado de mi trabajando desde pequeñito todo los días el estaba conmigo todo los días nunca andaba afuera por nada yo no entiendo por qué lo hice eso allá no entiendo por qué."

(Like any other father, I was destroyed, It made me sad because he was my son and he grew up alongside me. He has been working with me since he was a child, every single day we are together, he never went out alone and I cannot understand why, why anyone would do that I just don't understand why.)

The family is desperate for answers, and according to Leonardo they have not received any information from the police either as to what may have transpired between Johnthan and his killer.

Voice of Juan Leonardo, Father of deceased
"Lamentablemente yo no sé todavía no se nada a mi no me daba información nada no me dieron información no sé qué pasa a la policía aquí. O falta mucho entrenamiento la policía o no se pero no me dieron información si fueron animal que matan no hay nada no me pueden decir nada solo allí están no pueden ver allí están y lo llevamos yo no sé, yo no sé qué pasa sinceramente este es la primera vez que pasa a mi no se que así es o solo a mi que me está pasando no pero no se que van hacer no se quien tienen encargando de todo eso que está pasando ahí tiene solo encargado para ver a quien a cuidar or quien ir o quien todo por qué no saben no tienen una respuesta de nadie."

(Unfortunately, I still don't know, I don't know anything, they didn't give me any information, they didn't give me any information at all, I don't know what's happening to the police here. Either the police lack training or they don't know but they didn't give me information almost as if they had killed an animal and there was nothing they could tell me. I don't know, I just don't know what's happening, honestly this is The first time this has happened to me, I don't know if this is how they are or it it's only happening to me. I don't know what they're going to do, I don't know who is in charge of all that is happening, or if only one person is in charge to see who will take care of what and who. Why don't they know? I don't have an answer from no one.)

Police say 33 year old Abraham Shal from the Maya Mopan area - the owner of a licensed weapon - is wanted for questioning.

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