Another suspect shot by police

Another criminal suspect has found himself on the receiving end of police bullets, this time in Roaring Creek. Around twelve this afternoon, police cornered two men wanted in connection with a series of crimes in the Belmopan area, but taking them into custody has left one man hospitalized with gunshot wounds, another receiving treatment for minor injuries and a hail of accusations from family members of the suspects. As is usually the case in these incidents, the police version differs considerably from the victim’s. According to police press officer G. Michael Reid twenty-one-year-old Matthew Gentle and twenty-five-year-old Jovencio Herrera were tracked down to an abandoned house in the Another World area of Roaring Creek. When cops ordered the men out of the building, they reportedly refused and officers forced their way inside. Reid says that upon entering officers found themselves face to face with the business end of a gun and that is when one of the cops used his service revolver to bring down Gentle. He was shot in his left arm, buttocks and right foot and was taken to the Western Regional hospital where he remains under police guard. Authorities say they also recovered a loaded pump action shotgun from the scene. The second suspect, Jovencio Herrera, was also taken into custody and taken for treatment at the Belmopan hospital after complaining of discomfort. His family claims he was beaten by police. They also allege that Gentle was not in possession of a gun and that the weapon was found in the ceiling of the house. They add that he was already handcuffed when he was shot. According to G. Michael Reid, Herrera and Gentle are part of a criminal ring that is responsible for a series of burglaries and robberies in the Belmopan area. Reid says several charges, including attempted murder and causing grievous harm, are likely to be brought against the duo in the coming days.