Knife-Wielding U.S. Citizen Fatally Shot After Hijacking Plane in Belize

A U.S. citizen allegedly hijacked a small plane at knifepoint in Belize on Thursday, April 17, according to police.

Akinyela Sawa Taylor, 49, allegedly hijacked a Tropic Air Belize plane and was one of 14 passengers, officials said, per ABC News. The plane was traveling from Corozal to San Pedro.

Around 8:30 a.m., Taylor took control of the plane before takeoff because he wanted more fuel so he could leave Belize. However, the aircraft circled for hours before landing safely at Ladyville airport. 

During the flight, Taylor allegedly stabbed two passengers, Fitzgerald Brown and Jair Castañeda, and the pilot, Howell Grange. One of the passengers who had a licensed firearm shot Taylor as the plane landed. 

The injured passengers and pilot survived. However, they were airlifted to a hospital for treatment. Taylor was also taken to the hospital, but he was pronounced dead on arrival, per Newsweek. 

Taylor was refused entry into the country over the weekend, so officials are investigating how he entered Belize, police said. He was a military veteran and former football coach at McCluer North High School in Florissant, Mo., per Reuters.

U.S. Embassy spokesperson Luke Martin in Belize said that Taylor was insistent on returning to the U.S., adding that the embassy is working with local police.

“We don’t know why he wanted to go back to the United States,” Martin said, per Newsweek.

During a press briefing on Thursday, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce called the incident “horrifying.”

“We are grateful, I think all of us are, that that did not turn into a mass casualty event with, I believe over a dozen people on the plane. Clearly, we know a few details. We don’t know much more,” Bruce said.

Belize’s Commissioner of Police Chester Williams said at a press conference that the incident “is something that is going to be discussed intensively at the next national security council meeting,” per ABC News.

Williams added that the pilot did an “exceptional job” in the dangerous situation.

Tropic Air Belize CEO Maximillian Greif echoed Williams’ sentiment, calling the pilot’s actions “nothing short of heroic,” per ABC News.

“Our pilots undergo rigorous training to respond effectively and efficiently to any situation, and today we pause to recognize the bravery, skill and leadership that brought our aircraft home safely,” Greif said, adding that the company is offering “all available support” to the injured passengers.

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Representatives for the Belize Airport Concession Company, the U.S. State Department and Tropic Air Belize did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information on Thursday.