Police tactics again come under fire
Relations between the Police Department and residents of some of Belize City’s most heavily patrolled neighbourhoods continue to deteriorate as officers have once again been accused of reckless and indiscriminate shooting in pursuit of a criminal suspect. The latest incident occurred Monday night sometime after nine…and this morning News 5’s Jacqueline Woods was out looking for answers.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
Broken pieces of ceramics and other ornaments lay scattered over the living room of the Zelaya’s house at number 4153 Jasmine Street. The mess was created by a bullet that tore through the wooden wall and then bounced off a sofa before it fell into a bucket. Inside the house at the time of the incident were Imelda Zelaya and her son Alvaro. Zelaya says she was sleeping but was suddenly woken up by the sound of gunshots and a loud crash.
Imelda Zelaya, Resident
“My son was sitting down watching TV. He got up and ran from the room, when he heard the shooting and the things breaking. My son run and tell me “ma no get up, no get up somebody shoot the house.”
But it was just not anybody firing shots in the neighbourhood. Once again the police were out in force and allegedly in pursuit of a young man identified as seventeen year old Franz Westby, a fisherman of the area. According to Jose Leslie, he and Westby were riding their bikes and as they reached the corner of Mahogany and Jasmine Streets the police arrived and asked them to stop. Leslie claims that all of a sudden one of the officers attacked his friend.
Jose Leslie, Resident
“It look like one of the policeman…he recognise one of the policeman and it looks like he has a problem or something against the young boy, so it looks like he was already jumping out to jump on the young boy.”
Westby, in an attempt to get away, dropped his bike and ran into a neighbour’s yard. However by that time more police had arrived on the scene and they began to chase the young man….then there were gunshots.
Jose Leslie
“Later on three of the little blue vehicles come full with men and BDF with gun. After that, the Dragon Unit came and then the shooting up start with “Cowboy” and a next crew and Dragon Unit come and then you heard a next shot, one single shot that is after the first shot because the first shot was from the lane.”
The second shot that was fired is the bullet that hit the Zelaya’s house. Zelaya says the police later told her that Westby had a gun and it was he, not them who shot at her house.
Jacqueline Woods
“Residents contend Franz Westby was unarmed. In fact what he had in his pocket was this cigar and when he took it out police may have mistaken it for a weapon and opened fire.”
Jose Leslie
“They chase the young boy and it look like the young boy gone through went this way and then it look like they shot about ten to fifteen more shots down there. You just hear pow, pow, pow.”
Jose Zelaya, Resident
“They only tell my old lady sorry; sorry that’s all they said. Sorry? suppose they had killed one of my children. Well ma’am we are looking to take action against this because I no feel like this…I have a lot of children, I mean my children could have gotten hurt innocently. I mean it is not the first time that they are doing this. They are always shoot about the place like they are trigger happy.”
Residents say the police were intent on getting Westby. After the Zelaya’s house was hit they say the police ran down Westby and caught up with him in an open lot. Witnesses claim the police first ran through some PVC pipes and after catching Westby they pushed his face in this pool of muddy water and then dragged him back onto the street.
Gilroy August, Eyewitness
“They bring out the guy from the street and they start to beat him like a crazy kid. Then, one of the guys took his elbow and pushed him in his stomach and kicked him in the chest and I started to holler after him that’s a chance. So they left him and handcuffed him and pushed him in the vehicle and he went like this in the vehicle.”
Jacqueline Woods
“Residents have become concerned about their safety as a result of the actions taken by the police to combat crime and they say its only a matter of time before someone gets killed…by a stray bullet. Reporting for News Five, I am Jacqueline Woods.
Franz Westby, though grazed in the leg by a police bullet, was not injured and remains in custody. He has been charged with aggravated assault, based on allegations by police that he fired on them.
