‘Bounty’ Shot by the Police

Jamal ‘Bounty’ Young

Popular DVD salesman Jamal Young, better known as ‘Bounty’, remains hospitalized at the K.H.M.H., following an incident over the weekend during which he was allegedly shot in the foot by a police officer.  Young was making his way along Mahogany Street on Saturday afternoon when upon reaching the vicinity of the precinct, he heard what appeared to be gunshots.  He suddenly felt a burning sensation in the left foot and upon turning around to see what was the commotion, Young was struck from behind by a speeding vehicle.  He is one of two motorists to have sustained serious injuries after being knocked down by the reckless driver.  Officers were reportedly in hot pursuit of the fleeing vehicle as its occupants were believed to have been in possession of a firearm.  Despite not finding any weapons on the passengers, Young and another individual, a fast food deliveryman, have been left pretty banged up.  According to the injured peddler, he has been neglected by the officers who shot him.

Jamal ‘Bounty’ Young, Shooting and Accident Victim

“I was coming from the direction from Complex building heading out towards the Mahogany Street when I heard a gunshot. And when I spin around, I feel a burning in my foot—entered my foot and exit through my heel. When I really spin around back, I see a vehicle slam into me—but I neva slam into the Chiney, I slam out back on the street. So I heard like gunshot firing and nobody in the vehicle had any gun at that time. I see police man di shot and thing. When ih left me, ih bang the next young bwai weh work dah Pepper’s Pizza or one of the Bird’s Island deh; so he look like he gone into wah zinc thing and hurt ih chest. Now he di get up and look fi bruk weh when he look fi bruk weh, he di tell di man dehn that he noh deh with dehn. And he di look fi get shot too. Then he drop down. But I noh know that dehn bally got any gun. I deh pan the ground and I tell dehn my foot broke. And dehn drop me dah hospital and when they di try fix up my foot now, bally finger, the attendant…ih finger gone ina di hole ina my heel. So I tell this man this dah noh gunshot. It happen sudden. I deh pan the gun and dehn di buss gunshot and I noh see the young bwai dehn got no gun.”

Isani Cayetano

“These were officers responding from the Mahogany Street Precinct?”

Jamal ‘Bounty’ Young

“From the Mahogany Precinct…but look like dehn the come from Mahogany Boulevard side with the GSU behind the complex side when yo gwen towards the back. But it look like dehn stop the vehicle and when they stop the vehicle, the vehicle collide into the next bally weh mi deh upstairs weh got the chest pain. And dah so he di tell dehn he noh deh with ahn, but dehn still want shoot. That noh make no sense big man; I deh ina pain right now. I want know weh I wah do cause my daughter deh ina school all kind of thing; you get the understanding?”

Isani Cayetano

“You are well known individual in Belize City for riding around selling your DVDs and doing an honest living. This totally sets you back. Are you planning another course of action against the police department? What do you have in store?”

Jamal ‘Bounty’ Young

“At least I could get wah two lawyer or wah lawyer fi try help me fi weh I deh off my foot right now because dah me take care of my daughter and my man and dehn. And me dah the breadwinner because my brother dead right. So every day I get up from six o’clock to try make a money to try help my people dehn. Dah my pa di go deal with my pikney dehn right now. And that take a lick pan my pa cause my pa noh know about that.”

Isani Cayetano

“What are the police officers saying? Has anyone reached out to you after this accident?”

Jamal ‘Bounty’ Young

“One officer come ina the theatre because from Saturday they got me ina the theatre for like two, three days. The officer tell me that dehn wah come back; dehn noh come back yet. They move me dah surgical ward, but no police man noh come yet. The doctor come see me and the rest of the doctor early ina the morning, and I di ask dah weh gone on and he noh want tell me nothing. Look like dehn di cover up for the police man dehn. And I can’t have that because I have my people dehn fi take care of. What sense it make that I ina hospital and I noh di get nothing out of that. right now I deh ina mad pain right now general.”

Isani Cayetano

“Have they taken a statement from you at least in terms of what happened with this particular incident?”

Jamal ‘Bounty’ Young

“The young man come in from the theatre and when ih come in, ih take one statement, but he di try confuse me and the tell me weh color vehicle. And I di tell he one vehicle weh I know about weh deh front a me cause when dehn done bang into me, I flip over on my battam and my elbow my hand dehn. Wah lady come from nowhere and render aid to me and tell me about what dah my ma number and I start to give ahn all kind of number because that dah the first time I get broke foot big man and wah hole deh eena my foot.”

Of note is that the incident has not made it to the daily police blotter.