Fisherman shot during struggle with police
On Thursday night in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, a man was shot and killed in an altercation with police. The controversial incident sent shock waves through the San Juan area of the town, and erupted into civil disorder on the other side of the island. News 5 flew out to the caye this morning to find out more.
Patrick Jones
“The incident that took the life of the twenty-three year old San Pedro fisherman happened at this waterside around nine forty-five on Thursday night. Sanjay Pilgrim, Leroy’s older brother, says he was standing no more than five feet away from his brother when he was fatally wounded.”
Sanjay Pilgrim, Victim’s Brother
“The police searched him way in the front there where there was a lot of light from the lamp post. And then after they found nothing on him–everybody saw when they searched him out there– they brought him back because there was a lot of people right there in that blue house. So when they brought him back here now, one of the police, the police named Caliz, he’s East Indian guy about five foot eight inches, a slim guy, very young. He hold him right here by his collar here, and cranked the thirty-eight in his left hand, you know and put it to the side of his temple right here, you know and turned around like this and right here two of them fell in the water and he squeezed the trigger and I heard a muffled sound, like “pluff” you know. It didn’t sound too hard like a thirty-eight, you know.”
After being in the water briefly, Pilgrim says his brother was taken out of the lagoon.
Sanjay Pilgrim
“Caliz, the police that shot him in the head, lift him up and dropped him right here on the cement right here. When I saw his face slammed on the ground, I know he was dead already. When I lifted him up, I saw blood pour all over the floor you know.”
Pilgrim says when he realised that his brother had been shot he called out for help and neighbourhood friends rushed to the waterside. The victim, bleeding profusely from a single gunshot wound to the side of his head, was transported via golf cart to the island’s Lion’s Clinic, but he was dead on arrival. Pilgrim says the shooting is nothing short of a gross abuse of police authority.
Sanjay Pilgrim
“There wasn’t a struggle. There was two police with two thirty-eights and they were already out. They searched him already in the front there, so he had nothing, he had no kind of defence. So when they bring him at the back here, right here where I’m standing, they already had the thirty-eight in his head.”
Patrick Jones
“Why did they bring him behind here?”
Sanjay Pilgrim
“Because his boat was parked right here, he just pulled up and he told them that he took the gas tank out of the boat and he is going to carry it and put I behind the bathroom, so that nobody steal it or anything. So they brought him back here to confirm that this is his boat, tank and stuff. But when they come back here, I don’t know if that was their instinct or if their plan was to kill him or something, I don’t know what’s going on; he’s dead. I think this is a foul play because those cops they coming back here five, six times for the day and just beating up people you know.”
A team of investigators headed by Assistant Commissioner Bernard Lino has been dispatched to the island to investigate Thursday night’s incident. Lino told News 5 that the police are carefully piecing together what happened.
Asst. Compol Bernard Lino, Lead Investigator
“Shortly after nine-fifteen last night, two of our officers were on patrol in the San Juan area of San Pedro Town. That area is located on the western side of the town, in the area of the lagoon. During the patrol, our officers came upon two persons. It was during the search of those two persons when that unfortunate incident occurred.”
Initial information was that a struggle over an illegal firearm led to the fatal shooting. Lino says there is no evidence to support that claim.
Asst. Compol Bernard Lino
“A firearm was found in the immediate vicinity where the incident occurred. There is nothing to indicate that the firearm was found on the deceased.”
Patrick Jones
“The brother Sanjay, who claims he was standing right in front of his brother when he was fatally wounded, said that the policeman just took out his gun and for all intent and purposes shot his brother.”
Asst. Compol Bernard Lino
“We’ve recorded a number of statements and at the end of our investigations, the file will be forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions for his directives.”
Shortly after the shooting, angry citizens stormed the Lion’s Clinic, apparently to get at the police officer accused of killing Pilgrim. Area Representative Manuel Heredia, who was in the building and was slightly injured, told News 5 this is the first time he has seen his people so out of control.
Manuel Heredia, Area Rep., Belize Rural South
“Around ten-thirty yes, it was something that I couldn’t imagine that would ever happen in San Pedro that the crowd was so wild and I regret that that happen because you know it’s not good for the tourist island like San Pedro. Because it goes into the internet and it will affect us in the longer run. We just had an incident a couple days ago where they think it was headline in at least one of the newspapers where they were saying police brutality on the island and two days later we are experiencing this other mishap.”
Heredia says while he understands how the people feel, he does not support they way they went about showing their displeasure.
Manuel Heredia
“The violence, I don’t think it should have happened because it didn’t merit what really happened. If you are angry, there is a way and a procedure that they law should take its course. But even kids, people that I couldn’t imagine were throwing stones at the Lion’s Clinic destroying totally the doors, windows, and injuring a few, including myself, I got a little piece of it where there were broken glass going all around because stones by the hundreds, you had stones flying around.”
Patrick Jones
“But why were the people rioting?”
Manuel Heredia
“My understanding is that they are fed up that too much police brutality. That is what they are saying that every time somebody is locked up that they are beaten up. So that is what they are claiming that it is time drastic measures are taken, or at least an in-depth investigation as to why this happened and try to prevent this thing from occurring in the future.”
Asst. Compol Bernard Lino
“I have no information in regard to police brutality. However, if anyone on the island believes that he or she has been abused by the police, then they need to report the matter to us at the department’s headquarter in Belmopan and then appropriate actions will be taken.”
Patrick Jones
“While the investigation headed by Assistant Commissioner Lino tries to determine the circumstances surrounding Pilgrim’s death, there is an uneasy calm over the island. The victim’s family say all they want is justice.”
Sanjay Pilgrim
“I don’t know, it’s brutality man, you know. And I just want some justice or something because I love my brother and I am gong to miss him more as each day goes by you know.”
In San Pedro, Patrick Jones for News 5.
Leroy Pilgrim leaves behind a wife and daughter who is only a year and a half. About twenty-four officers, equipped with riot gear, were dispatched to the island today. No one has been arrested so far, but police say those responsible for the disturbance will be dealt with according to the law. At the end of the investigation, the file will be forwarded to the D.P.P.. P.C. Caliz, was stationed in San Pedro in October 2003.
