Officer Shot in Cayo Recovering After Surgery, Suspect Charged

Police have confirmed that an officer who was shot earlier this week in the Maya Ranch area of the Cayo District is continuing to recover following emergency surgery. The injured officer has been identified as Sergeant Dalon Kelly, who is attached to the Belize Police Department and stationed at the Georgeville Police Station.  According to authorities, the bullet perforated Sergeant Kelly’s intestines in three places. Doctors were able to successfully remove the bullet during surgery, and while he will require additional medical treatment, police say his condition has improved significantly.  Officials say the officer is conscious, walking, and is expected to be discharged from the hospital within the next few days as he continues his recovery.  Police Commissioner Richard Rosado was among several senior officers who visited the hospital earlier this week to monitor Sergeant Kelly’s condition following the incident.  Investigators say the shooting occurred on Monday, March sixteenth, at around three-thirty in the afternoon when Sergeant Kelly and other officers responded to reports of a disturbance in the Maya Ranch area, located about four miles along the road to Mountain Pine Ridge. During the response, the officer was reportedly shot by a male individual.  Police subsequently detained the suspect and recovered a nine-millimeter pistol believed to have been used in the shooting. Yesterday, Dan Lopez, a thirty-five-year-old Belizean farmer from the Cayo District, was formally arrested and charged with Attempted Murder, Use of Deadly Means of Harm, and Grievous Harm.  Authorities say the investigation remains active as police continue gathering statements and examining the circumstances that led to the shooting.