Youth shot by cop; family seeks inquiry
The storm of deadly violence that has hovered over the south side of Belize City since the new year claimed another life over the weekend. And while this latest shooting did not involve gangbangers on bicycles, there are indications that an “old beef” may have played a role. News 5’s Jacqueline Woods has the story.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
On Tuesday SJC Sixth Form student Leslie Rogers, junior, would have celebrated his twenty-second birthday. Today his family is getting ready to lay him to rest after he was killed by a police man?s bullet on Saturday night.
Pat Bennett, Aunt of Deceased
?We went and look at Leslie?s body and immediately my brother just broke down because of the extent to which, what we saw there. He was shot in the middle of his forehead…right here.?
The officer accused of pulling the trigger has been identified as police constable Aldo Ayuso. Ayuso, a former teacher of St. Ignatuis Primary School, has been with the department since 2002. Today, he remains on duty pending the outcome of an investigation. The initial police report into the incident is that around eleven Saturday night two of their officers went into the area of Euphrates Avenue to look for an individual who reportedly was armed.
G. Michael Reid, Police Press Officer
?Upon arriving in the area, the police tried to stop two persons for questioning and they took off running. The police pursued these individuals and one of the police officers went around and came on the other side, which is on Euphrates Avenue. According to the police officer, this individual made a move as if to reach into his pants front and as a result, he fired a shot that caused a fatal injury.?
?We have to rely entirely upon the evidence as they present themselves. We took a report from the police officer and canvass the area for witnesses. We understand that a number of people have been saying that they observed what happened; they witnessed everything and we are asking these individuals to please come forth and assist us in conducting this investigation.?
The police further claim that they recovered from the deceased a
nine millimetre Rugar brand pistol loaded with fourteen live rounds of ammunition. But the family contends Rogers was not armed. Pat Bennett says the only thing her nephew had in his pants pocket was a comb.
Pat Bennett
?There were several people out there and none of the witnesses that have come forward and said that they saw all that took place, saw any gun in Leslie?s hands. They saw guns in Mr. Ayuso?s hands and certainly when my brother got out there, Leslie?s father, and asked the policeman what had happened and where was the gun, they could not produce any gun to show my brother at the time of the incident; absolutely none. In fact up to this moment, nobody has seen the gun. Where did he have the gun? Did he have it in his pants waste or did he have it in his hands? Where did he have the gun? Nobody saw any gun and I certainly do not believe.?
Allan Kelly agrees. Kelly was with Leslie when the police first arrived on the scene and approached his friend.
Allan Kelly, Friend/Witness
?It was Leslie Rogers, Dwayne Davis, my cousin, and me. I was sitting on the step. I saw Officer Ayuso and Officer Barrow because I know them good. I saw them pass through and they turned back and told Dwayne Davis and Lelsie Rogers to walk in the yard on Amara. So the two walked in the yard and then Officer Ayuso and Officer Barrow reversed back and Leslie Rogers was inside the yard walking; walking to come through the alley to hit Euphrates. Then Officer Barrow came out and fired a shot in the air and when he fired the shot, I walked inside. Then I saw Leslie Rogers and Dwayne, my cousin, come inside but Leslie Rogers walked through the alley and came on the street on Euphrates. All I could know the vehicle that Officer Ayuso was driving came around, the Focus, come on Euphrates, King Street/Euphrates and all I heard was the two shots. When I ran out of the house back and ran on Euphrates through the alley, all I could see is Leslie Rogers lying on the ground dead.?
Kelly says he does not know why P.C. Ayuso shot his friend but he claims that since the protest in Belmopan the police have repeatedly harassed them.
Allan Kelly
?We gone up there on our own freewill. But they never have to take my friend off of that because they no catch him on no tape. All they do dah suggest he was on that tape or if they had a grievance with him they never had to kill him like that. They never had to kill him like that. This dah execution he did to my friend.?
?We dah just some young boys who hang out on the street. No time they could say they have our name at the station for no other stuff. We nuh do no robbery; we nuh do no killing; we nuh do none ah they stuff deh. They could never come out and say they got we for that. It?s none of that. So I don?t know why they don?t just leave us. Why they just continue harass we? Why? We want to know why Ayuso kill fi we friend? We want to know why? They di seh he had a gun. Leslie Rogers never had no gun pan ah. That is what we know for a fact. We don?t know where this gun thing come from.?
The police say they sympathize with the family and further add that Commissioner Carmen Zetina has called for an immediate investigation. The family says they only want justice.
Pat Bennett
?I have heard the news brief that the Commissioner of Police is going to have an investigation into the whole matter. I am certainly holding the Commissioner of Police to that promise. My family would certainly proceed with all that we need to do to ensure that justice prevails.?
News Five understands that P.C. Ayuso was only three feet away from Rogers when he shot him in the head. Jacqueline Woods for News 5.
News 5 understands that the shot that killed Rogers was fired from a distance of around three feet. The deceased was the grandson of the late C.L.B. Rogers, Belize’s long time Deputy Premier and Minister of Home Affairs, a position that placed him in charge of the nation’s police force.
