Family says police got it wrong
On last night’s newscast we reported on the wounding of three innocent victims caught in the middle of a Belize City shooting. Today, relatives of the accused say the police have it backwards. Jacqueline Woods reports.
Patricia Usher, Sister
“I was very surprised because I know they never had any gun. We noh even have no gun dah back deh(there).”
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
Today, family and friends of Joel “Tiny” Usher and Jeffrey “Copper” Gill, the two young men who have been implicated in Saturday night’s shootout, say the police gave arrested the wrong men. According to Patricia Usher, it is the complainant, Wayne Welch, who attacked the men and fired at them.
Patricia Usher
“I see Wayne bust through Arlington Drive by where we live. And my bredda (brother), Coppa mi di (was) come through Faber’s Road, and he bust through Arlington Drive too. And after that, Waynie come with speed fi (to) knock ah (him) down, so my bredda jump off the bike with my daughter, my lee baby. So when he jump off the bike now, Waynie brakes in front of him and haul out his machete. Same way how he haul out the machete, he start to chop. So when he chop, he chop my bredda hand and I hear he scream out, then I hear a baby bawl out. So instant weh (what) come I to my mind, I seh, (said) oh my God, dah my bredda and my baby. So I get frighten and I scream out and so my neighbour and my other two lee bredda run to the rescue behind he. When I reach there my bredda done the bleed and he hold up the machete with his hand weh di bleed and he hold my baby in the next hand. My baby the bawl, so I grab my baby, I tek weh (took away) my baby from ah (him).”
According to Usher, after Gill was injured, he went home and was in no condition to be involved in any shootout. Lisa Matura, claims that sometime later that night, she saw when Welch chased after Usher and then fired shots at him.
Lisa Matura, Friend
“The young boy Joel Usher was in my granny’s yard when Wayne Welch stepped on him. Wayne Welch step pan he from in my granny’s yard.”
Jacqueline Woods
“The police are saying that both Usher and Gill were armed with sawed off shotguns.”
Patricia Usher
“That’s a lie. Dah wah (it was a) small house we mi di (were) play cards in, so the areas mi hot and the owner of the house shove open the window and when she shove open the window I turn towards the window. Somebody mi just win, so everybody di pay up their dollar fi set again and the person who win the pick up the cards. So nobody noh really di pay attention to outside through the window. So when she shove open the window, I seh, that dah Waynie! And I see he the chase Tiny with the gun, but the gun gone off.”
The police say Welch has confessed to them that he had to chop Gill’s hand in order to defend himself from being shot. The authorities say they do not believe the young women and that they have evidence and witnesses who claim it was Usher and Gill who fired the shots that injured three innocent people. This morning twenty-year-old Joel Usher was taken over to Magistrate’s Court where he was charged with four counts of attempted murder, wounding and deadly means of harm. Jacqueline Woods reporting for News 5.
Because of Gill’s hand injury, he was not taken over to Magistrate’s Court until this afternoon. According to police, their investigations reveal that the incident was the result of an altercation that took place between one of the suspects and Welch’s girlfriend. The young woman claims that she was slapped earlier that Saturday evening.
