Shooting victim claims Police fired at him
The search for Jason Kuylen on Friday night led to a conflict between police and a group of youths in a Southside Belize City neighbourhood. When it was all over Kuylen was apprehended but another man was wounded by what he claims was a gunshot fired from a police revolver. News Five’s Jacqueline Woods investigated.
Two different groups of young people were hanging out on Mayflower Street when they allege a police vehicle drove up and two officers opened fire. Twenty-six year old Anthony Adderley who was sitting on this block says at first he didn’t know it was the police and there was little he could have done to dodge the bullet.
Anthony Adderley, Shooting Victim
“When the vehicle approach now everybody wants to know who’s this vehicle, nobody no run, nobody no do nothing because nobody think nobody in danger. Now I put my pint in my hand and I turn my hand upside down and put it over my eyes to try and shut out the beam to see if I could recognize who’s in the vehicle. When the vehicle stop, a shot fired in our direction that is the one that catch me.”
Today Adderley remains in the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital suffering with a gunshot wound to his left index finger.
Anthony Adderley
“I don’t know what I will do now. I have a job, I can’t go work. How will I go and take care of my daughter and my common law wife? What he wants me to do now? Then now he will put man in a situation to go and rob somebody.”
The police say they were in the neighbourhood to apprehend robbery suspect Jason Kuylen but when they reached Mayflower Street their vehicles were stoned and a crowd that gathered began to move towards them. The police say they had no choice but to fire two warning shots in the air. That’s when police say people in the group returned fire and they believe it was one of those bullets that caught Adderley. However the residents contend that the young men were unarmed.
Cynthia Goff, Resident
“When I heard that the boy got shot, I said but that boy, I just talked to him. He was urine to the corner of the fence. How could he hold gun in his hand and you know that way? He was urining by the fence. And I said, hmm, that funny because Tony is a boy that troubles nobody. So I don’t know why they shot him and I don’t hear him fuss with anybody on the street.”
Sharmaine Stewart, Sister
“We didn’t know it was the police, we thought it was the rival gangs come and try to shoot. So they just come and start to shoot. My brother Anthony Adderley was over behind me and the policeman, they just start to fire. And the policeman they are saying that the guys were shooting after them, that is a lie. Nobody shoot after the policeman. The guys, they never did have any gun at the time to shoot after the policeman.”
The residents say as Adderley was shot another officer then opened fire on Kuylen as he ran into a neighbour’s house.
Anthony Adderley
“One of the persons out of the crowd ran into the house, James Smith’s house and he run in behind the house and shot the young man in the house, the expended shell and the blood in the house. I don’t know if they wiped up the blood. The house they shot the young boy, it only has one exit and that is the entrance only one way you can get into this house.”
But Kuylen was not shot, he was taken into custody and charged with robbery. The Adderley family contends that police just used the opportunity to intentionally shoot their son. They claim that for sometime now a C.I.B. officer known to them as “Cowboy” has been threatening him.
Sandra Uter, Mother
“Why they shoot my little boy like that? Which is before he use to send threatening words to my son that he is next and he this and he that and thing understand pertaining to an incident about one month and a half a back.”
Anthony Adderley
“I am with them to try and slow down the crime rate and thing, but you just can’t come meet people sitting down and just open fire. That is a criminal act you could be the police, you could be the minister, you do that, that is a crime.”
The police have put Adderley under police guard telling News Five he is wanted for questioning for a number of crimes.
Adderley’s family has not yet filed a formal complaint in the incident but says they will bring a lawsuit against the government. Police say that their Internal Affairs Unit has launched an investigation.
