Transgender woman, Vanessa Champagne Paris, is robbed
Howell Gillett
In April, a transgender woman named Vanessa Champagne Paris was badly beaten as she walked on Vernon Street in Belize City. She claimed that she was targeted because of her sexual orientation. Tonight she is back in the news after an incident which occurred in Belmopan. Actually, the incident occurred on June tenth but went completely under the radar, even though one of the alleged robbers was shot by Police during the apprehension. Today Officer Commanding the Belmopan Police Formation, Superintendent Howell Gillett, told us that no charges were ever laid in the incident.
Supt. Howell Gillett, Officer Commanding, Belmopan Police
“On the tenth of June at around ten twenty pm Vanessa Champagne Paris reported that he was walking on the sidewalk near ambergris Avenue when he was accosted by four male persons who took away his Iphone valued at five hundred dollars. Police responded immediately and a suspect was found to be in a tree along the sidewalk. He was ordered to come down and during the process he placed his hand in a black bag that he had with him on the tree. Police fired one shot which caught him on the right hand. Nobody was ever charged for it because the complainant did not request any further Police action into the matter.”
Reporter
“Sir do you believe that it was a cut and dried robbery attempt or was it an attempt to harass Vanessa Champagne Paris?”
Supt. Howell Gillett
“We are still not clear on that but we believe that it was somebody who used it as a crime of opportunity seeing the time and the condition of the light because at that time the lighting situation was still not good, but now B.E.L. has fixed all the lighting along the sidewalk.”
Reporter
“Are you concerned that with the suspect already perched on a tree…that lethal force was still used?”
Supt. Howell Gillett
“We’re not overly concerned about it. The Police suspected that the person was going to draw something from the bag and in the process fired a single shot which caught the suspect in the hand.”
Reporter
“Did you in fact find any weapon in the bag?”
Supt. Howell Gillett
“No. No weapon was found, and his explanation was that he was trying to come down and that is why he placed his hand in the bag. But I don’t see the rationale behind it. In our view and based on the statements that we have gathered from other witnesses, the Police did what they had to do at the time.”
Gillett credits the quick Police response to a recent initiative to place both uniformed and plainclothes officers on sidewalks following a spate of robberies.
what again on the news? you know what give shim ih own TV show and have it over with
It is interesting that when members of the police force speaks and specifically this officer, why do they release information to the criminals about hunting them down? You do not tell them what you are doing to crack down, it is absolute stupidity. Its like telling the late Bin Laden, I know you are in the cave and we will reach out and pluck you outta there. He was saying the other day that police presence will be visible on the walkways in Belmopan. For goodness sake, common sense dictates that you do not do that, you just do what you have to do. Where are these guys trained, and are they taught what is classified information, what and how they should speak and what should be released? Damn wake up Policemen some of your comments are very very pathetic well no even ask about the English, my goodness it is atrocious. For those who are of Mayan or Spanish decent in the police force should be taught proper English or get off the TV………. one day a cop said the diseased person in his report of a crime instead of deceased. Can you imagine? makes me wonder about their use of the English language when writing and documenting information from the public,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,mien, mien, mien. Sad situation wish I can work with the Cops and edit their reports before they go on the air and help them to be more professional, they need a person to vet a mean seriously vet what they are going to say before they get on the TV, some of them truly make a mockery of themselves………….I will not rest my case…………nough said, with due respect to the Police.