Teen Burglars Shot by Police on Christmas Day
There was an officer-involved shooting in Belize City on Christmas Day which resulted in two sixteen-year-old boys receiving varying degrees of injuries to their lower extremities. Lionel Gordon and Denver Domingo live a stone’s throw away from where they were caught inside a Chinese business. When police met the duo, along with a third unidentified suspect, they were with knives. That’s when the officers shot both men. The family, however, is challenging that version of events. News Five’s Isani Cayetano has the following story.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
A pair of teenagers, both residents of Belize City, came under gunfire from police officers responding to a burglary on Lakeview Street on Christmas Day. Sixteen-year-old Lionel Gordon and sixteen-year-old Denver Domingo reportedly were in the act of burgling a Chinese corner store on Wednesday. When police arrived on the scene they observed a damaged door on the upper floor of the two-storey building.
Kenrick Gordon
Kenrick Gordon, Father of Shooting Victim
“It was Christmas Day, my son, I had just given him a brand new shirt and a pants so he can wear for Christmas Day. He stepped out of the yard for a short while and I don’t know what transpired. I know the folks that live up here are family, they are Gordon, right, and my son told me that he saw the place open so he came to check on it because he knows they are Gordon too. And while they were in the place, police came and found them inside the place and when the police found them inside the place, my son told me that they didn’t have any weapon. The policeman had already had them with their guns pointing at them.”
But police have shared a different account of what happened inside the shop. A report released on Thursday states that whilst the officers were making checks of the building, they encountered three individuals, two of whom were armed with knives and advanced towards them. That’s when they reportedly opened fire.
Alejandro Cowo
Supt. Alejandro Cowo, O.C., C.I.B., Eastern Division
“Police alerted the three persons to come out of the building and as a result two of them approached police with knives. As a result police fired shots injuring two male persons and one of them made good his escape. The two male persons that were injured are minors.”
Reporter
“So they never managed to get anything out because you caught it in progress.”
Supt. Alejandro Cowo
“One of them escaped and according to information we had received from the owner of the shop, some cash was stolen from them.”
According to Kenrick Gordon, his son and the other teenager had already been subdued by the officers when they were shot.
Kenrick Gordon
“The police officer then shot my son twice: one in his right leg and one in his left foot. I think that is unlawful. Police take an oath to serve and protect. There’s no serving and protecting if you meet two minors in a burglary attempt and you have a gun, I think you should find a better solution before you pull a trigger because they were unarmed and that is not justifiable for someone that took an oath to end up shooting kids for fun. I think this officer, I am not sure what is his name as yet, this officer should be charged legally as well because he committed a crime and I am definitely going to bring a lawsuit against that officer for the shooting of my son.”
This afternoon, Lionel Gordon and Denver Domingo were scheduled to appear before the lower court to face charges related to the burglary.
Supt. Alejandro Cowo
“The two minors were treated and they were discharged and they are presently in police custody and I think that by the end of the day they will be going to the court.”
Reporter
“Do they have any priors similar to this incident?”
Supt. Alejandro Cowo
“No.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.
