Police officer shot while averting a robbery in Esperanza

Amin August

A police officer was wounded in Esperanza, Cayo District, over the weekend. He was trying to avert a robbery when he was shot by one of three robbers. His belt buckle fortunately blocked the full impact of the gunshot and Assistant Superintendent Amin August, is tonight recuperating from the injury. Still, August is the sixth police officer who has been shot since September fifteenth; and the police department says it’s a worrying trend. Duane Moody also caught up with Augusts’ wife and has the details.

Duane Moody, Reporting

Sometime around ten on Friday night, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Amin August, was shot to the abdomen while socializing here at E’s Cool Spot, a bar located behind Western Poultry Products at Miles sixty-five on the George Price Highway in the Village of Esperanza. August was shot by one of three masked men who attempted to rob the establishment.

Raphael Martinez, Police Press Officer

“Initial investigations revealed that three persons—one of dark complexion and two clear-complexioned male; all wearing dark clothing and cloth over their faces—one was armed with what appeared to be a nine millimeter pistol, one with a machete and one with a knife. They arrived at the Western Poultry Bar through the back door area and fired a shot above the persons gathering there—ordering everybody to the ground. The person armed with the knife held up a seventeen year old employee of the establishment and escorted him inside the shop and demanded money. At the same time, August was engaged in a struggle with the person who had the firearm and he consequently received that injury in the abdominal area. But not before having extracted the magazine from the firearm. It was a mega brand containing three luger brand nine millimeter and two SMB nine millimeter rounds of ammunition.”

Betty August

August, a career police officer and Second in Charge of the Special Patrol Unit in Belmopan, was off-duty when he was injured. His wife, Betty August, recounted the incident.

Betty August, Wife of Shooting Victim

“He was at his cousin’s bar—he went there to play pool; to socialize a bit—and while sitting to have a beer, he had his back turned to the pool table. Everything went silent and when he looked around, he saw all the other people that were there on the ground and three masked men: one with a firearm, one with a knife and one with a machete. One of them advanced to him and asked him to go down and he responded that he will not comply to that. And so he backed off to the one that had the gun and he grabbed the gun and started a struggle with him. He had the gun, released the magazine and at the same time, the guy who had the gun shouted to the other to come and hit him with the machete in the back and then the one with the knife approached him as well and wanted to stab him. When the guy throw the first stab, he tried to ward it off and he reached closer. So he had to release the gun and the other guy took the gun took two steps backwards and then shot him in the belly.”

The father of four sons went into surgery on Sunday to remove the bullet fragments from his abdomen and is now in a stable condition at the Western Regional Hospital. Betty says that it’s fate that saved her husband’s life.

Betty August

“According to the doctors it is not life threatening because the gunshot luckily hit the belt buckle and so just the shattered part of the bullet. But because there were some fragments within his system, he received surgery two days later to remove the fragments.”

Duane Moody

“But all will be good; he is in stable condition.”

Betty August

“Well so far the doctors say that all looks well. I am not sure if it was divine intervention because he is an officer who whether he is on the job or not, he carries his weapon with him, but for this time he didn’t have any kind of intention for staying out long. So he said he picked it up, but it down back in the bag and said, “He don’t think he is going to need it today.” So he went out without his firearm; so he was unarmed—he didn’t have any weapon.”

Considered a local hero, August, despite being injured, managed to assist in the apprehension of one of the robbers.

Betty August

“The guy that had the bartender accosted, he reached within the bar. After this whole scenario, my husband ran, after he got shot; closed the bar and then shouted to the ones that were on the floor to close the door so that the thief couldn’t come out and then he reported to his cousin that he got shot and to take him to the hospital.”

Raphael Martinez

Raphael Martinez

“When police visited that establishment, they saw Mister Amin August, Assistant Superintendent of Police attached to the Special Patrol Unit Belmopan, suffering from three apparent gunshot wounds in his abdomen area and also one the scene was Jake Anthony Cadle, a twenty-three year old Laborer of San Ignacio. He was handed over to the police by the civilians.”

On Monday night, Cadle’s accomplice, Alvaro Aldana, another San Ignacio laborer was detained in connection with the incident and police are looking for Mark Anthony Conorque also known as fifty cents of Belmopan whom they believe can assist in the investigation. Duane Moody for News Five.

There were two other shootings; both in Orange Walk. On Saturday at ten o’clock p.m. nineteen year old David Garbutt was injured on the left elbow while purchasing a hotdog in front of the Shell One Stop Gas Station on the Belize Corozal Road. About five shots were fired from a passing vehicle and police have detained persons for questioning.  On Sunday, after two a.m., a lone gunman opened fire at twenty-six year old Freeman Amador in front of Butchy’s Night Club. Amador was shot on the left side of his chest while stray bullets hit a seventeen year old minor on the chin and twenty-two year old Ariel Serano on his right wrist. There is also an incident that went under the radar. According to the police, ten days ago police conducted operations at the Western Border and the Guatemalan taxi drivers were told to vacate temporarily. They went across to Melchor where they fired several shots in the air. No one was injured.