Caracol Park Manager Recalls Last Conversation with Danny Conorquie
The Caracol Archeological Site reopened on Monday, and for the tour guides and tourists who visited, it was business as usual. The tour guides have not told their guests about the murder of Special Constable Danny Conorquie. They say it’s not part of their spiel. But that doesn’t mean that Conorquie has been forgotten. On Monday, News Five spoke to Assistant Park Manager, Keldon Harris, who told us that ten minutes before Conorquie was gunned down, he sat under the shed talking to him. Harris says that that day is still etched in his mind and that whenever he walks by the shed, he salutes the fallen special constable.
Keldon Harris, Assistant Park Manager
“I come do wah patrol, I put the rangers them fi come work and I said I done do the office and I done deal with the tourists and the toru guides so I say I wah take wah patrol with the tourism police. So now we come through that side by the entrance and we come straight come sit down. I look on my phone and I said Conorquie I have to come do a radio check. I gwen dah the house go do it and then I wah come back and meet yo. So then…”
Mike Rudon
“So you all where here? You left him where?”
Keldon Harris
“Right pan that seat there di sit down and I sit down on that seat in the back there and then after that I gone dah the house gone do my radio check and come back. As I reach dah the house I said I wah eat my lunch and come back come meet him. When I said I wah come back and meet ahn, I just finish eat di sit down on the railing. The rangers told me that they want to start from down there and come back to work and I told them I neva had a problem from that. Mussi about a second after he tell me that, I hear the first gunshot. I get off the railing, grab my gun and I come up to the office and do another radio check to the Cahal Pech base and tell them how we have shooting up dah Caracol. Tour guide come tell me that there is a man down. I ask who down? I said which one of them? And ih said the colored one and so I said oh no…that dah Conorquie. So I call back Cahal Pech and told them that we have an officer down and we need immediate back up. And I think BSL hear the news and they ask if everything alright. And so they asked me information about how many tourists around and if everyone alright? So I said so far only the officer down and everybody in front of the office waiting for security. In about fifty to a hour and fifteen minutes later, scenes of crime came in. But before the scenes of crime came in, the FCD patrol came in as well. And then the patrol from D-Silva came in and then tscenes of crime come in and everything was under control. They took all the tourist back from here.”
Mike Rudon
“How long you deh out yah?”
Keldon Harris
“Me, I usually spend eleven days dah the site.”
Mike Rudon
“You feel any fear since that happen because I stand up out yah and I noh even want turn my back to the bushes?”
Keldon Harris
“Well every day we come out on the site, we come to the same scene and we look on it and we just talk to ahn thinking that he is there. First, we mi feel bad about it and never want come back out and work, but I say they won’t come back again because they will know that everything wah change now and that’s what the happen right now…everything the change back yah.”