ST. LOUIS – A former McCluer North Football Coach was left dead Thursday after attempting to hijack a small plane in Belize.
According to officials, Akinyela Taylor, 49, attempted to hijack an airplane Thursday that was flying from a small town near Belize’s border to the popular tourist destination San Pedro, Mexico. The plane was carrying 14 passengers and two crew members when it was hijacked.
Authorities claim that Taylor stabbed multiple people on board before one of the victims managed to shoot and kill him after Taylor had gashed the passenger. Multiple victims at the place remain in critical condition after the incident.
The company managing the Belize airport concession says authorities declared a full emergency immediately after the incident started. The plane circled in random directions for nearly two hours in the skies during the incident.
A Police helicopter followed the hijacked plane before it was able to touch down at an airport in the coastal town of Ladyville.
“Sadly that passenger is in a critical condition because he was stabbed, I think in the back and his lungs seem to have been collapsing, said Chester Williams, Belize Police Commissioner. “He has been rushed to the Medical Associates (hospital). We are praying for him. He’s our hero, I must say.”
The Ferguson-Florissant School District confirmed Thursday night that Taylor was an assistant football coach at McCluer North High School from June 27, 2018, to Feb. 6, 2019. Belizean authorities say he was also a military vet, but the U.S. has not confirmed if that’s true.
U.S. Officials say they don’t know the motive for Taylor’s hijacking but are working with Belizean authorities to determine what happened.