Accused claims to be innocent shooting victim; not robber
The shooting at the foot of the swing bridge on November twenty-eighth appeared at first glance to be a clear cut case of attempted robbery of a former police officer by two men on bicycles. But the story is now changing. Thirty-five year Javier Castellanos, now a security guard, claimed that one robber attempted to grab his handgun and cell phone while the other robber, attempted to pull out a gun on him. He retaliated by shooting both of his alleged attackers. Edmund Gladden and Kareem Barahona were both treated at the hospital and after being interviewed by the police, they were released because Castellanos’ story was not adding up. The version of the incident by Gladden and Barahona is different from the one given by Castellanos. Barahona says that he has known Castellanos for three years and it would be foolish of him to rob a man he believes to be a police officer. Because his friend Edmund Gladden was arrested on December fourth, Barahona felt he needed to set the record straight as to what happened at the foot of the Swing Bridge when they were approached by Castellanos. Barahona says not only there wasn’t a robbery, it was Castellanos who approached them and started a confrontation when he pushed Gladden to the ground. While he is considered to be “at large” by the police, News Five’s Jose Sanchez found him in his yard at Brides Alley, a stone’s throw away from the Queen Street Police Station. Barahona said he and Gladden are innocent men.
Kareem Barahona, Claims to be Innocent
“I tell my bally mek we roll from yah because dis look like da problem dis man yah want. When we enter di bridge now, we come round he, round di drugstore back fi enter di bridge, dis man say “da f******g me you want play wid?” yo understand and just haul out ih gun. But I innocent, I noh do nothing understand? So wen di man haul ih gun now, my friend si di gun and my friend ride off. Di man bust wah shot but I noh know my friend get shot. So after dat di man put a gun dah my head. When di man put di gun to my head, I duck. When di man duck he bust a second shot den di third shot hit me inna my leg and I ask dis man weh he shot me fah. Same time di police dehn come. So I tell dehn “dis dah noh robbery, so mek unnu rub me down onetime.” I noh got nothing pan me, no knife, nothing. And dis dah five o’clock when everybody di come from work; everybody di see weh di happen. So I can’t rob nobody pan di bridge weh I know fi three years. Yo understand me big man? So I want know weh di happen. So now after dat now dehn seh mek we do a statement da station. When we reach from di hospital, no police come deal wid me, just dump me dah station right so, want tek my money and use it gainst me. So we mek a statement and thing, and dehn get di phone number and just release we. Not knowing after dat now, Thursday come dehn deh dat how dehn want si we again, ker my friend and charge ah fi attempt robbery. I want know fi what. If I know a man three years, I wah never rob wah man dehn kind ah way.”
While Barahona intends to seek legal advice regarding the incident, Gladden was charged in Magistrates’ Court today for Attempted Theft. Chief Magistrate Margaret McKenzie remanded Gladden into custody until January ninth.
