Victim of Gang of 8 Speaks Out
Noe Sanchez
Noe Sanchez was the other person attacked by the group of eight soldiers and a police officer. He told his story to the media, saying that as they were being beaten they were asked questions in Spanish and Creole. Sanchez observed that the officers apparently came prepared for a violent confrontation and left with the now-deceased Salazar after administering a thorough beat down.
Noe Sanchez, Victim
“They knocked the door once and the second time, the door fly. When the door fly, dehn say ‘Head down! Face down!’ When they tell we face down, we face down – just like a army come in and tell you face down; you will face down. Dehn done got the gun, done got everything against you so you will face down; you don’t want to watch them and see them, you will face down. When we face down, dread bally get hit first, dehn me – dehn look pah me because I got my army bag, I got my soldier bag right there so dehn shet me down. Most a dehn had dehn face covered with black right here (gestures) – they call them ‘capuchos’. Only the general and another one had their face open. And dehn di mek all this question eena Spanish and Creole, so the language all mix up. Now when this happen dehn done di beat me up – dehn no question me; dehn di beat me up, dehn di stamp me up and kick me up and thing. After dehn staat to do that dehn ask ‘who da di owna a di house?’ I noh seh nothing; me da no di owna a di house, but I done receive my kick so I noh seh nothing. afta a while “JB” said I da di owna a di house and dehn staat to beat up the man brutally. Why didn’t they do like [she] said: take us to the station and beat us? All of us got beaten; take us to the station and get the truth from us, but with the law. Why did they want to kill us? Why did they fire shots? They came with the bomb and everything and where is the army truck? They said they had the army truck. When I came out after everything passed, JB and CJ were getting drowned and I was getting beaten up because I had the army bag. They told me to turn my face; I couldn’t even talk and I wouldn’t have talked because they already stamped me. They had the gas that they throw at your face and you couldn’t breathe; that’s where I was when they brought the boys down, beating them up. They beat them up with no mercy.”
