A veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces has been charged with murder in connection with a mass shooting in Belize that left two people dead and eight injured.
JR Smith, who served with the Royal Canadian Regiment in Afghanistan as part of Operation Medusa in 2006, is accused of driving the getaway vehicle after the July 31 nightclub shooting.
Police in Belize say three local men who were with Smith got into an argument over a woman at the club. They left but allegedly returned later with guns and opened fire.
Smith and the other three men were arrested and presented in handcuffs.
Smith’s partner, Denise Hepburn, told CTV News that he was not involved in the shooting and was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Hepburn also claimed that Smith was repeatedly beaten by police after his arrest, resulting in a bruised eye seen in his arrest photo.
“He protected this country. He is a decorated soldier,” she said. “He’s a good man… he would never do something like this.”
Smith, originally from Newfoundland, moved to Ontario after leaving the CAF. He studied woodworking and later opened a cabinet shop. He was profiled by CTV News five years ago as part of a Memorial Day feature on veteran entrepreneurship.
Global Affairs Canada says it is “aware of a Canadian who has been detained in Belize” and is willing to provide consular assistance. Smith remains in prison in Belize and is due back in court in November.
With files from CTV Barrie’s Mike Arsalides
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