A man from the United States was shot and killed after he hijacked a small passenger plane in Belize. The man, named Akinyela Sawa Taylor, took control of the plane at knife-point while it was flying with 14 passengers onboard.
During the hijacking, Taylor stabbed two people and forced the pilot to fly the plane out of Belize. One of the passengers managed to shoot Taylor in the chest, stopping the attack.
The plane landed safely at Philip Goldson International Airport, although it had been flying in circles and was running low on fuel. Taylor was taken to a local hospital but died from his injuries. One of the stabbed passengers is in critical condition.
The flight was going from Corozal to San Pedro when the hijacking happened. Belize’s police commissioner, Chester Williams, said the passengers were lucky to have survived. The US embassy is now working with Belizean authorities to investigate what happened.
More details are expected as the investigation continues.
