On Thursday night, July 3rd, island residents Alfredo Trapp, 28, and Gabriel Villafranco Salazar, 38, were targeted by two gunmen as they traveled in a golf cart. Trapp was fatally shot, while Salazar was left in critical condition and later airlifted to Belize City for further medical attention.
Police reported that they received information about the shooting incident just after 9PM. Trapp and Salazar were in the San Mateo Area when two men on a motorcycle approached and opened fire. According to the report, Trapp was hit in the right shoulder and left upper chest. He was transported to the Ambergris Hope Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment.
Salazar was taken to the Dr. Otto Rodriguez San Pedro Polyclinic II and was listed in critical condition. He received gunshot wounds to the right side of the abdomen and right shoulder. Salazar was stabilized and later transported to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in Belize City for further treatment. His current condition remains unknown.
At the crime scene, police collected eight expended 9mm shells.
Both Trapp and Salazar are well known to police for involvement in serious crimes, including murder. A quick recap of their brushes with the law includes Trapp’s murder charge in the April 2015 killing of taxi driver Rigoberto Beltran. Trapp was charged alongside Luis Campos, Mark Arzu, and Santos Garcia. However, by May 2018, most of them, including Trapp, had reportedly been released from prison.
In January 2023, police issued a wanted poster for Trapp, who was being sought for questioning in the shooting death of American tourist J’Bria Michelle Bowens, which occurred on December 30, 2022, near Central Park. Police stated that Bowens was not the intended target but was caught in the direct line of fire. Trapp remained at large, and no further updates were provided regarding his apprehension.
Salazar was recently charged with murder in October 2021 for the fatal shooting of Jerry Espat, who was gunned down while fishing at Cangrejo Caye, south of Ambergris Caye. Salazar was identified as one of the gunmen. In addition to the murder charge, he faced several others, including attempted murder, use of deadly means of harm, and wounding, as Espat’s brothers were also attacked during the incident. Salazar was remanded to the Central Prison on the mainland but somehow managed to secure his release.
Police continue their investigation into this latest violent incident and hope to make arrests soon.
