Police to Question WPC Injured in Fareed Ahmad Shooting/Crash

A female law enforcement officer is tonight a prime suspect in the shooting death of thirty-eight-year-old Fareed Ahmad.  Woman Police Constable Michelle Brown remains in stable condition at the K.H.M.H. under close watch by her colleagues, as it is expected that she will be questioned upon release from the hospital.  A thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding this latest tragedy is underway and the Professional Standards Branch of the Belize Police Department is leaving no stone unturned.  This morning, the assistance of the National Fire Service was called in to pry open the sports utility vehicle that Ahmad had been driving on the night of the deadly shooting.  During the incident, the BMW swerved off the George Price Highway and collided into a derelict vehicle on the opposite side of the road in Hattieville.  The massive impact of the collision crushed the vehicle, catching within the mangled wreck one of two firearms that were inside.  Ahmad’s licensed handgun is still missing; however, the department-issued pistol which Brown was in possession of at the time of the shooting was recovered from the vehicle earlier today when it was cut open using the Jaws of Life.  Assistant Commissioner of Police Chester Williams provided the latest details on this developing story.

Chester Williams

ACP Chester Williams, Commander, Professional Standards Branch

“On Thursday, December twenty-eighth, sometime after midnight, Hattieville police responded to an information of a road traffic accident between miles sixteen and seventeen on the George Price Highway.  On the scene they observed a grey BMW SUV crashed into the rear of an old vehicle which was parked right on the eastern side of the highway.  Inside the vehicle police saw and removed Fareed Ahmad, who at the time was observed with head injuries, and WPC Michelle Brown who complained of pain.  Both were transported to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where at the hospital, while being examined, the police received information from medical personnel that Mr. Ahmad had a gunshot wound, entry and exit, on the face.  That information was conveyed to the police and right away the police went to secure the scene of the accident as it was then treated as a shooting scene rather than a traffic accident scene.  The investigation of the police into that matter continued and yesterday we conducted extensive search of the vehicle for the firearm, as we knew that Mr. Fareed does have a licensed firearm and from information we also obtained, the WPC was also armed with a police issued firearm.  Neither firearms were found.  An examination of the vehicle, however, revealed two bullet holes on the driver’s side window of the vehicle.  The vehicle was then transported to Belize City, Queen Street compound, for it to be more extensively searched for the firearms and the expended shells, if any.  That search was done yesterday and nothing was found and this morning, with the assistance of the fire service, the jaws of life, we were able to cut the vehicle and we managed to recover one firearm inside the vehicle.  That firearm is of Bersa brand and from our records it was the firearms that the WPC was carrying at the time.  We also found inside the vehicle, two expended shells.  The firearm and the expended shells will be sent to the [forensic] lab for examination to ascertain whether or not it was that firearm that discharged the two expended shells that were found inside the vehicle.”