Prime Minister of Belize, Hon. Dean O. Barrow made his first official visit to South Florida over the weekend from June 25 to 27. The trip was to bring Hon. Barrow closer to South Florida's Belizean community in an effort to foster investment and business opportunities. But his trip was made a bit more interesting than he and his guests had anticipated. On Saturday, June 26, while PM Barrow was wrapping up his speech at the Miami Beach Resort & Spa, he was interrupted by Miami Beach Police who arrived at the hotel to investigate the shooting death of a man who was found on the 11th floor.
Officers pulled out and quickly evacuated 1,000 people from the hotel -- including the 100-person wedding party and the 300 guests who gathered to hear Belize Prime Minister Dean Barrow speak in a separate hall.
Here in Belize, while residents were bracing for Tropical Storm Alex to arrive, rumors began to circulating and some news outlets were reporting that the PM had been shot during his first official visit to the U.S. Hon. Barrow's staff and most hotel guests were stranded outside the resort for hours, unable to retrieve their vehicles from valet parking. Guests weren't allowed back in until about 3a.m.
On the 11th floor, police spent the night collecting evidence and questioning witnesses. No arrests have been made. The victim's name has not been released. It's unclear if he was a hotel guest. Also unclear is whether his death is a homicide or a suicide. (More on this week’s issue of Ambergris Today)
