Family Alleges Excessive Force in Police Shooting

Jervis Valencia

There is one more report on crime in tonight’s broadcast. It involves a shooting that took place on election night on Mayflower Street in the City in which one person was killed and two others were injured. The family of Jervis Valencia, who is under police custody in the K.H.M.H. as a suspect in the murder of Moses Gonguez, is claiming that police used unwarranted force on Valencia.  He was shot to the chest and the neck by the police as he was reportedly fleeing the scene of the crime. Duane Moody has this story.

Voice of: Sonia Dawson, Mother of Jervis Valencia

“Mister Hilberto Romero di say, the police, that Jervis exchanged back fire to the police man dehn. No; that was a lie because if ih mi di exchange fire back to the police man dehn, ih woudla mi get shot front way. Ih get shot on the side.”

Duane Moody, Reporting

The mother of thirty-three year old Jervis Valencia is saying that police used excessive force on her son following a murder last Wednesday in Belize City. Sometime after nine o’clock on Election Day, thirty-six-year-old Moses Gonguez and twenty-three-year-old Triston Gordon were inside a yard on Mayflower Street with four other persons when they came under fire from a lone gunman. Gonguez was shot multiple times to the body and died, but Gordon was only hit to the leg. That shooter, who was identified as Valencio, attempted to flee the scene, but was shot by officers who responded to the sound of the gun blasts. Valencia was hit to the chest and neck.

Hilberto Romero

Supt. Hilberto Romero, O.C., C.I.B., Eastern Division [File: March 5^th, 2015]

“Valencia pointed a nine millimeter pistol towards…he was ordered to stop and he refused to cooperate. Again the nine millimeter pistol that he had was recovered beside his body that was on the street. It contained an extended magazine with several live rounds of ammunition. The officers were responding to shots being fired in the immediate area. The incident occurred in a small area, the officers heard the shots and they took up positions to see if anyone would come in their direction and if anyone was fleeing from where the shots were heard. We don’t know if it is related, but a couple shots were fired, the police responded and no one was shot.”

Valencia’s mother, Sonia Dawson says the police has it wrong.

Voice of: Sonia Dawson

“I don’t know what the situation was. Jervis heard gunshots and he started running and the police fired shot towards him. Apparently on the side he got caught with the bullets to his throat. If he was first to shoot at the police as the police man dehn say, definitely dehn mi wah shot him from front way. So I wah know why the police man dehn neva shot ahn ina ih foot since dehn say ih mi di run. Why dehn shot ahn that way deh? Dehn shot fi kill.”

Dawson says she cannot speak on whether her son did in fact fired shots. The injuries sustained from the gunshots, however, have Valencia unable to talk and walk. She is now asking for justice for what has happened to her son, who turned thirty-three just hours before he was shot by police.

Voice of: Sonia Dawson, Mother of Jervis Valencia

“Well he is apparently out of the critical stage, but he cannot talk and he cannot walk.”

Duane Moody

“That was as a result of the gunshot?”

Voice of: Sonia Dawson

“Yes. Yes. His birthday was, he got shot on the Wednesday and his birthday was on the Thursday; just couple hours before his birthday.”

Duane Moody

“So what are you going to do now? Go to internal affairs?”

Voice of: Sonia Dawson

“Of course I’m going to Internal Affairs because I want justice. I noh know weh kinda law…everything that dehn police man do to dehn individual guys out there, dehn holler that it was because dehn mi di exchange back shots at them. Dehn can’t di do something like that, dehn can’t go di tell fi dehn boss lie.”

Duane Moody for News Five.