Another person dies in police lockup
Kevin "Boco T" Myvette
The death of Arthur Young was foretold by the man himself. He often said that the police would kill him. And though the police said that he was accidentally shot, three bullets bring little comfort to the family of the Taylor’s Alley leader. Since Young’s Sunday night shooting, another man has died in police custody. In February, a San Pedro resident mysteriously died inside a cell at its Police Station and last night, another detained man passed away. News Five Isani Cayetano travelled to La Isla Bonita to unravel the last day of Kevin Kelly or Kevin Myvette, who is better known on the streets as Boco T.
Isani Cayetano Reporting
The mysterious death of thirty-eight year old Kevin Kelly, known in the streets of Belize City as Boco T, is the second loss of life involving a captive inside the holding cell of the San Pedro Police Station. At around ten o’clock on Thursday night Kelly allegedly robbed an employee of Celi’s Diner as she was walking along Barrier Reef Drive with her siblings.
Vienni Robinson, Officer Commanding San Pedro Police Formation
“At ten p.m. on Thursday the twenty-sixth of April, 2012 Filipa Estela Lamb, twenty-four years [old], cook of a Coconut Drive address, San Pedro Town was walking on Front Street in front of the Central Park when she was robbed of her gold chain, her black and gold in color purse and a red and black Alcatel cell phone. Police and B.D.F. patrol were in the area and they came upon them struggling and caught up with him. He was identified as one Kevin Kelly, aka Boco T, thirty-eight years old of a Fairweather Street address, with cell phone in hand. Kelly was detained and handed over at the San Pedro Police Station.”
The account of Kelly’s demise is based on a report submitted by the police department. According to residents of the vicinity where Kelly absconded to, he was pursued by several officers into a construction site where a complex is being built for former mayor Elsa Paz. There he was apparently threatened by one of the officers wielding a firearm. Kelly was purportedly told that if he attempted to flee the scene by scaling the fence at the rear of the property, he would be shot dead.
Vienni Robinson
“At the police station whilst in the process of being locked down Kevin Kelly was escaped and was immediately pursued by the San Pedro police. The chase ended up in a yard behind the Three Sisters building and after jumping the fence he fell, apparently on his face and he became faint. He was handcuffed and walked towards the gulf cat where he fainted again. This time he was placed on the gulf cart and brought to the police station. He revived again [and this time] he was placed in the cell alive. Later on he fainted again [and] the assistance of Dr. Zuniga was called and he was pronounced dead at 11:48 p.m.”
Vienni Robinson
Kelly, as News Five understands, was recently detained for trying to extort tourists on the island for money and other valuables. According to O.C. Vienni Robinson, he was released from custody because the visitors decided not to press charges against him. Nonetheless, he was asked to leave the island forthwith. Kelly chose to remain and that’s when he committed another offence.
Vienni Robinson
“There was no visible signs of injury on the body except for scrapes and [bruises] on his forehead and elbow which is believed to have been received while he was jumping over those fences. The body has since been transported to the Belize City morgue where it awaits a post mortem to determine the cause of death.”
Again, residents maintain that Boco T was badly beaten before being taken into custody for a second time. Robinson says a full investigation will be conducted to certify that Kelly died of natural causes.
Vienni Robinson
“Belize City police, CIB officers of course, and officers from the Professional Standard Branch will be out here assisting with the investigation in order to rule out any misconceptions.”
On the morning of February twenty-first, thirty-one year old Miguel Martinez was found dead inside a holding cell at the San Pedro Police Station. He was detained by police for beating a machete against a seawall before turning up dead inside the cell. Kelly’s death is the third inside the station’s holding cell. Reporting for News Five, I’m Isani Cayetano.
I put the death of Arthur Young and a few notorious killers in a different category, and can rationalise them because our criminal justice system, especially DPP and the courts, is hopelessly broken and good people are dying as a direct result.
But police cannot think that, like the fictional James Bond, they suddenly have a “licence to kill.” This appears to be a case of a petty criminal dying either because of a police beating or pol;ice incompetence or neglect, if he suffered a serious head injury trying to escape. Sorry to say for the officers, but I think this death requires a full, fair, and impartial investigation, and if there was wrongful conduct by the police, let them pay the consequences.
Arthur Young is dead. Police leadership needs to reassert control of their troops, and remind them that they are not above the law. They work for the people, to protect and serve them.
I put the death of Arthur Young and a few notorious killers in a different category, and can rationalise them because our criminal justice system, especially DPP and the courts, is hopelessly broken and good people are dying as a direct result.
But police cannot think that, like the fictional James Bond, they suddenly have a “licence to kill.” This appears to be a case of a petty criminal dying either because of a police beating or pol;ice incompetence or neglect, if he suffered a serious head injury trying to escape and they failed to take him for PROMPT medical attention. Sorry to say for the officers, but I think this death requires a full, fair, and impartial investigation, and if there was wrongful conduct by the police, let them pay the consequences.
Arthur Young is dead. Police leadership needs to reassert control of their troops, and remind them that they are not above the law. They work for the people, to protect and serve them.
police investigating police is a no go. that is why nothing no change it get worst
I hope the criminals read the news and see that all-citizens and police are fed up and when they die, nothing will happen and life goes on without their pathetic existence
lots of people want the police to clean the streets will here they go. lets kill off more of them devil seeds. oh my son my child was such a good person, how adout when they !@#$%^& hurt someone else or kill some else they are good still in your eyes, but now you go and put his @## in the ground just like the person they kill and feel sad that he is dead when most of belize is saying about time now who is next.
one more down , about 50 more to go, come on team police I am rooting for you. I live on Amara Ave and I am scared to sit on my verandah in the evenings . we need to clean the city for us to get our life back again.
Ok he may not be an upstanding civil Belizean abiding by the laws of the land however, when someone in police custody in Belize faints or shows any other sign of medical distress is it protocol that he/she is suppose to be taken to the police station and locked in a cell or should he have been taken to a hospital immediately, under police guard?
The streets need to be cleaned up and these crooks need to get what they deserve but if the police are guilty of the same crimes that these guys are being charged with better needs to be done if Belize will remain as a civil society.
Crime does not fight crime, it starts WAR. That is exactly where we are heading……This issue will never be resolved if the police continue to think they are above the law. They will always be watching their backs in fear of retaliation and the criminals will always be retaliating. There is a much bigger picture to be seen, until we find the power to look at it and resolve the issues around it, our country will be as chaotic as WE allow it to be.
God bless the police department dah bout time they did something about these worthless criminals terrorizing the country.