Retired Canadian soldier charged for abetment to murder in Hopkins mass shooting

By Aaron Humes: John Roy Smith, 43, of Sittee River Village, Stann Creek District by way of Canada, has been charged by police with two counts of abetment to commit murder.

He joins Brian Andrews and Sherwin and Kenyon Moore. They are charged with the murder of two men, Noah Moro and Emilio Garcia, and injury to eight others at the Wabinaha Night Club and Bar in Hopkins on July 31.

Smith, according to police, drove the getaway vehicle following the incident which was later impounded.

Smith participated in a Canadian mission in Afghanistan as part of his time in the Canadian Army which resulted in 40 deaths and 70 alleged suicides. He told an interviewer that on his return home in 2012, he began a furniture carpentry business both as a means of income and to help fellow soldiers suffering the after-effects of war.

But he claimed that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian Government had “chosen big business over small business” by allowing major stores to stay open but effectively forcing family-owned and smaller businesses to close and lay off workers. These and other grievances prompted him to move to Belize, where he owns a piece of land. He said he intended to work with a friend who was helping army veterans, and added that Belize “owes me nothing, unlike Canada.”

A link to the video can be found here: