The Olivera family of western Belize is trying to cope with their hurt after Lionel Olivera Sr. became the victim of gun violence on Friday, April 23. Olivera, a 57-year-old retired soldier of the Belize Defense Force (BDF), was on duty as a security officer at Cayo One Stop Hardware Store in Santa Elena Town, Cayo. It was a typical night of work for Olivera Sr. but it all changed at around 10:30 p.m. when two men descended on the scene. One of those men pulled out a firearm and fired a single shot to Olivera at close range before fleeing the scene. Police understand that the culprits made off with Olivera’s company issued weapon, a Smith and Wesson 9mm firearm.
The entire ordeal was caught on surveillance footage, and while charges are yet to be read against anyone, police believe that they have one of the responsible persons in detention. He is 21-year-old James Rudon, a laborer and resident of La Democracia. Rudon was found in southern Belize where he was on board a bus headed for Santa Rosa. Police say that they found Olivera’s company issued firearm inside a backpack on a rack in the bus above Rudon’s head. As a result, Rudon has been detained pending a charge of possession of a firearm. He has since been escorted to Belmopan in order to be investigated for murder.
On the night of the murder, quick response by Police to transport Olivera Sr. to the San Ignacio Community Hospita to the incident were futile. He died while undergoing treatment and now his family is left questioning the motive behind the murder. So far, police believe that the culprits simply wanted Olivera’s firearm.
While officers made note of the attire the culprits were wearing, they believe that the clothes were quickly discarded after they were found in the Bradley’s Bank area of the town. Finding the stolen firearm weighs heavily in favor of the police’s investigation into this murder but as with any case, they must continue to carry out their investigation to find more evidence into the incident.
