A U.S. man hijacked a Tropic Air flight in Belize on Thursday, stabbing two passengers and the pilot mid-air before being fatally shot by one of the injured passengers, officials confirmed. Despite the chaos, the plane, carrying 14 passengers and two crew members, landed safely in Ladyville after circling for nearly two hours.
The flight had departed from Corozal near the Mexico border and was en route to San Pedro when the incident occurred around 8:30 a.m. The hijacker, identified by Belize police as Akinyela Taylor, allegedly tried to force the plane to change course and requested to be flown out of the country, possibly to Mexico or the U.S.
During the standoff, Taylor reportedly stabbed the pilot and two passengers. One of the injured, Fitzgerald Brown, who was legally armed, managed to shoot Taylor before collapsing. Brown suffered a punctured lung and remains in critical condition. He has been hailed as a hero by Belize Police Commissioner Chester Williams.
The pilot, Howell Grange, is recovering from his injuries, while another passenger, Jair Castañeda, was also wounded. U.S. officials have yet to confirm Taylor’s background, though Belizean authorities described him as a military veteran.
Tropic Air CEO Maximillian Greif praised the pilot’s composure, calling his actions “nothing short of heroic.” U.S. and Belizean authorities are continuing investigations, with the motive behind the hijacking still unclear.