Belmopan (Belize): In a mid-air drama, a 49-year-old US citizen was shot dead inside a small aircraft flying within the territory of Central American country Belize after he stabbed at least three people on board. Akinyela Sawa Taylor apparently hijacked the aircraft and ordered the pilot to fly him out of the country.
Among those stabbed was the pilot Howell Grange and passengers Fitzerald Brown and Jair Castaneda. It was one of the injured passengers who shot Taylor in the chest with his legal firearm. Doctors have said that this passenger was stabbed in the back and his lung has been punctured. He is now admitted to hospital in a critical condition.
The incident began soon after the small Tropic Air flight took off from Corozal and headed towards the island town of San Pedro. It had 14 passengers and two crew members on board. Taylor suddenly whipped out a knife and went on a stabbing spree before being shot dead.
The plane remained in the air for nearly two hours thereafter, before finally landing at the coastal town of Ladyville, escorted by a police helicopter. Authorities said that it was nearly out of fuel by then.
Taylor is believed to be a military veteran who later became a school football coach. The McCluer North High School in Florissant, Missouri, however informed Reuters that the man no longer worked there. Authorities in Belize have confirmed that Taylor was denied entry into Belize just a few days earlier. This has raised questions about how he managed to enter the country without official permission.
Questions have also been asked on how he managed to board the aircraft with a knife. But then, an Indian social media user has pointed out that somebody in the same flight was also carrying a gun, licensed or otherwise. This is something unthinkable in India.
