Cpl. Kent Martinez Is Being Charged With Manslaughter by Negligence for Allyson Major’s Death
The Ministry of National Security confirmed that Corporal Kent Martinez is the police officer who killed thirty-six-year-old Allyson Major Junior on July sixteenth. Fourteen days after he was fatally shot, the ministry released a statement in which it says that the Special Investigation Team is moving to charge Corporal Martinez for the crime of manslaughter by negligence. The brief statement says that the ministry thanks the Special Investigation Team for their “swift work and reiterates its commitment to ensuring that police officers act appropriately towards the public they are sworn to serve.” And while the ministry is content with the team’s swift work, family and friends of Major Junior are not. A statement from attorney Kareem Musa reads “The public and loved ones of Allison have been uneasy waiting for the decision; most find it disappointing if not scandalous. The sentiment that they share with me is that a civilian under the same set of facts would be charged for murder.” Major was shot to death while being pursued by police officers near the Swing Bridge in downtown Belize City. Major suffered a gunshot wound to the head, causing him to crash a pickup truck into a bus near the bridge foot. Musa says that the charge against Corporal Martinez deserves a proportionately condemning call as unacceptable. According to Musa, there is a reasonable skepticism that the public holds and that the current decision to only levy the charge of “Manslaughter by Negligence” does not help to displace that public distrust. He says, “Manslaughter by Negligence is an offense for which a guilty verdict may possibly result in the payment of a fine. What is the worth and value of Allison’s life?” The family believes that the options which are more reflective of the public outrage and alarm include the charge “murder” for which the “Manslaughter” is an alternate verdict available at a fair trial. They are asking why take away this option from the justice system and are asking for the jury of the public and reasonable minded citizens to decide. The family equates that to justice to all. The expected charge of “manslaughter by negligence” was brought up during an interview conducted with Musa a day after Major was killed. On that day, Musa told the press that the Major family would press for a ‘murder’ charge.
Kareem Musa, Friend/Attorney of Deceased
Kareem Musa
“Nothing can warrant shooting an individual in the head. It is not as though they were shooting at his tires. They were shooting for his head. That is a direct hit through the glass of his vehicle that hit him in his head. So there is nothing that would warrant that, absolutely nothing. Even if the it is that they are alleging that he through something out of the vehicle, stop and see what he threw. If it is something incriminating then maybe follow him. But to be shooting at him and indiscriminately so because you are then posing a danger to normal citizens that are on the streets of downtown Belize City. We are not talking a shootout between gang members, we are talking a shootout between members of the Police Department that suppose to be trained and how to deal with situation like this. So it is not even negligence, this was an intentional murder of Allyson Major. That is what this was and I don’t know the back story to it. Maybe going further into the future we might learn more but nothing warrants killing him.”
Reporter
“If criminal charges are brought many times it is for manslaughter and not murder because they are in the execution of their duties. Will the family push for a murder charge?”
Allyson Major
Kareem Musa
“I have already advise the family based on the precedence that has been set with the young man that was murdered in the Caye Caulker police station, Mr. Sotz, that the likelihood is that the police department will charge with manslaughter. The DPP may choose to charge with manslaughter. I think if you look at intention which is what murder comes down to, if you shoot a vehicle to the back window where your head suppose to be because that is the driver side, that is intentional. So I don’t see how the police can get away with only charging with m manslaughter in this situation. I do believe that the family will be pressing for them to be charge these individuals because I am told it is more than one police officer that was firing shots. This is coming from the police department, acknowledging that. There is more than one person shooting at Allyson Major that those individuals are charged with the appropriate charge.”
While the ministry has officially indicated that Corporal Martinez is being charged for the crime of manslaughter by negligence, this evening the Belize Police Department told the press that no charges have been levied thus far against Martinez. News Five has learned that investigators have not prepared the charge sheets.
