Cayo Police Provide Clarity on Reported Bus Shooting
Reymundo Reyes
On Wednesday, San Ignacio Police swarmed Esperanza in response to reports that a man had been shot in the head on a Westline Bus. Conrad Thomas, bleeding profusely and unconscious, was rushed to the San Ignacio Hospital. At the time passengers on the bus were in a panic and Police got conflicting reports. But there is much more clarity today, and Deputy Commander of the Cayo Formation, Reymundo Reyes, told News Five that they are confident they have the man responsible for the attack in custody.
ASP Reymundo Reyes, Deputy Commander, Cayo Formation
“Immediate Police response was done and when the police arrived at the scene which is where the bus had stationed itself in Esperanza, a male person was seen in one of the seats in an unconscious state. He was removed and placed in the police vehicle and transported to the hospital for treatment. The initial stage was that the report was of a person shot in a bus. The scene was fully inspected and there, we did not find any sort of expended shell or slug. At the hospital, the police observed a small cut wound or injury on the right side of the gentleman whose name was learned to be Conrad Thomas who allegedly had a previous misunderstanding with a person while waiting for bus at the Welcome Center area. The information at the moment is that when the bus stopped at Esperanza to pick up some passengers that is when a male person—the same male person who Conrad Thomas had problems with at Welcome Center—was seen coming in the bus through the back door and that was when he allegedly approached him and inflicted the injuries to Thomas. At this moment, there is a person in custody who is being questioned. The person will be placed on an identification parade as soon as Mister Thomas is ready to assist us with the investigation. Statements have been recorded from his wife, from him and other witnesses. We know that we have the right person who inflicted the injury on Mister Thomas. We are still look at two avenues. We have seen that the injuries is not consistent to that of a gunshot wound, but yet the complainant is saying that he was shot by this individual. One of the witnesses is saying I saw this person with a handgun. We believe that if it is a handgun or any object that the person had in his hand, the person used that to knock Mister Conrad Thomas to the right size of the head, causing the injury. The reason why we don’t believe it was a gunshot, it doesn’t matter what size the caliber of the weapon was, it would have caused an echo that would have called the attention of all or any other passenger on that bus. The wife who was sitting right beside him is saying she only heard a knock, not a gunshot.”
One man, a B.D.F. solider, is presently detained by San Ignacio Police pending an ID parade.
