Is the Shooting of Alleged Robber Shemar Nunez Justified?
Shemar Nunez
Another man was killed in the city within hours of the murder of Denzel Flowers. The case, however, is being treated as a fatal shooting because police say Shemar Nunez was killed during an armed robbery on Albert Street, while service was ongoing at the Wesley Church. Initially police said that Nunez was stopped in his tracks by a security officer, but today, at a weekly press conference, the police said was shot and killed by a passerby when he pulled out a gun and pointed it at the individual. Fearing for his life, the man fired several shots and one fatally hit Nunez. Today, police said that the file will be sent to the D.P.P. to determine what happens next, but they believe the use of force was justified. Andrea Polanco has more in the following story.
Andrea Polanco, Reporting
Twenty-three-year-old Shemar Nunez was shot and killed on Albert Street shortly after nine on Sunday morning. Police say that Nunez and a sixteen-year-old allegedly robbed Mid-town Grocery Store and upon their get-away – a by-stander pursued them. And that is when Nunez allegedly pointed a weapon at the man who pursued him. That man had a weapon of his own and he fired shots at Nunez – one of which claimed his life. Today police say that they believe that passer’s by use of force was justified.
Alejandro Cowo
ASP Alejandro Cowo, O.C., C.I.B., Belize City
“Mr. Nunez and another minor had just robbed a business establishment on Albert Street. As they were leaving the business, they were pursued by a person and as a result Nunez pointed his firearm at the male person, where as the male person had a firearm and fired shots at their direction causing the above mentioned injuries to Mr. Shemar Nunez. Also beside him, police found a pistol loaded with a magazine containing several rounds of ammunition.”
Reporter
“Was there, in your opinion, justifiable use of force by this bystander who happened to be passing?”
ASP Alejandro Cowo
“Yes, we believe that the force was justified. The post-mortem result will show us what transpired and as far as I know, Mr. Nunez only has one gun-shot to his body.”
Gilbert Nunez says he was with his son outside of the Michael Finnegan Market just minutes before he died. He says that he doesn’t know what happened, so he doesn’t want to speculate on the circumstances because he doesn’t have all the facts. He says that that he heard the gun-shots that took his son’s life.
Gilbert Alexander Nunez
Gilbert Alexander Nunez, Father of the Deceased
“I neva know that my son get killed. I was shocked to know that dah my son because we mi deh together like five minutes before. I can’t believe that my son deh down deh. When I reached on the scene, I cannot believe it was my son because the clothes I left him in five minutes ago wasn’t the clothes I saw him in on the crime scene. So when I reached, the police didn’t want me to pass because I mi the try go over the board. As a parent it hurts because you know it is your pickney and so I was trying to go in to see if it is my son and I had to obey the rules of the police. When I reached there, there was no gun on the scene, only police and assuming at the time was my son and a bike down there. I didn’t see any gun. The only gun I saw was the duty weapon in their hands.”
Andrea Polanco
“So, you didn’t see him with a gun that morning?”
Gilbert Alexander Nunez
“No, ma’am. No ma’am.”
Andrea Polanco
“Was he one of those guys who may be involved in these kinds of things?”
Gilbert Alexander Nunez
“I nuh wah pretty my pickney nor I nuh wah ugly my pickney. When they are around me, they are alright. When they are with company, it is a different thing. So, I can’t say yes or no. I don’t know.”
According to Office in Charge of the CIB Alejandro Cowo, Nunez’s accomplice, a sixteen-year-old boy was apprehended on South Street. He was found with over six hundred dollars – believed to be the proceeds of the robbery. Cops say that their camera’s surveillance footage is being used to connect the dots in this investigation – that places Nunez and the minor at the scene of the robbery. Cowo says that the file will be sent to the Director of Public Prosecution to determine how they are to proceed with this case.
ASP Alejandro Cowo
“Yes, we are preparing a file at this moment and we are just waiting for results from the lab to complete the file and forward to the D.P.P. office.”
Reporter
“Because when a shopkeeper or a security guard at a shop, for example, shoots someone you can understand they are directly engaged. But when an outsider comes in then it creates another variable because it is questionable whether that person was under direct, mortal danger?”
ASP Alejandro Cowo
“Well that person, he is the only person that can give an explanation if he believes that he was in imminent threat or danger if his life was at risk and that is why I believe he pulled his firearm and fired his weapon.”
Today, when we spoke with the owner of the store he claimed that his store wasn’t robbed. He told us that it appears that the men intended to rob the business but the relative who tending the business at the time only realized what was happening when he heard gunshots outside. Police say that fear maybe the reason why the businessman doesn’t want to acknowledge what happened. Reporting for News Five, I’m Andrea Polanco.
