Man from dark side of Caye Caulker shot

A man was shot this morning in the island of Caye Caulker, and a police is under investigation for pulling the trigger. Tyson Rodriguez was rushed to the K.H.M.H. and is in critical condition after undergoing emergency surgery. It is not the first time that the cops have shot at residents and the incident has fueled anger among the residents of the Black Neighborhood who believe the shooting was unnecessary. The facts are that Rodriquez moved to the island about a month ago in search of a job and this morning he was shot in the abdomen in a police chase by PC Juan Chuc. The police say he pulled a knife at them but residents dispute that version. News Five’s Delahnie Bain reports from Caye Caulker.

Delahnie Bain, Reporting

A man was shot by police during an early morning raid in the area known as the Black Neighborhood in Caye Caulker. The cops were looking for drugs and when a small amount of marijuana was discovered, one of three persons at the house, twenty-five year old Tyson Rodriguez, jumped from the two-storey structure and attempted to flee.  Police set chase and the pursuit ended when Rodriguez was shot to the abdomen. He was flown to Belize City for treatment and we met his sister at the K.H.M.H.

Shanda Rodriguez

Shanda Rodriguez, Sister of Tyson Rodriguez

“The way I get the situation how he got shot was because he was running from the police because he was staying with my cousin who lives in Caye Caulker and they were smoking a little weed and he saw the police haul out their guns and he ran. And then police shot him from behind. It exited his belly and now he’s undergoing surgery.”

Police claim that Rodriguez was shot because he attacked an officer with a ten inch knife. But his friend and neighbor, Melvin Lopez says he didn’t have a weapon.

Melvin Lopez, Friend of Tyson Rodriguez

“About seven-thirty I was up here trimming my uncle hair then I si di police ranger pull up. Each police went to a house den dehn start search one ah my friend house yah den I si Tyson jump from dis yellow house and run through wah lee alley dah way deh. I hear ih get shot but I neva believe den when I gone by deh and I si dehn bring ah pan wah stretcher. I noh know weh time dehn shot ah or how much time, but I know ih get shot.”

Melvin Lopez

Delahnie Bain

“Now, they are saying that he pulled out a knife. Did you see if he had anything with him when he was running?”

Melvin Lopez

“Nope, that’s a lie he didn’t have no knife.”

Charles “Laban” Rubio, Estrella Street Resident

“From the month I’ve known him I would see him come borrow my boat, go fishing, come back, go home. Home, store, home, store; that’s the only way I know Tyson. I don’t really know him as a guy—about his history or if he’s a bad guy or anything, I don’t really know him like that.”

Charles “Laban” Rubio

Charles Rubio, another resident of the Black Neighborhood, says that his house was targeted after Rodriguez ran past it, even though he tried to tell the officers which direction he went.

Charles Rubio

“When the police came they didn’t even ask if they can come into my place, they came and broke the front of the house, they broke a part of the verandah, they jumped in over my fence with this big gun and come upstairs to my house. I have my little daughter, she started to cry and scream because she’s so scared because she’d never seen a gun before.  He also even push me in my face inside my house the other guy with the big gun, he walked outside and left the other police alone in my house. You know if I would have been a bad guy I could have attacked him in my house because he had no right to come into my house without a search warrant. And even if he would have come and said Mr. Rubio, I would like to conduct a search, please can I search your place I would give him the go ahead because I know my yard is clean and I live clean.”

Rubio says that nothing incriminating was found in his yard, but he was still taken to the police station. He claims that the officers told him outright that they would continue to harass him.

Charles Rubio

“He said I will continue come here and harass you guys. I said well, I’m not a drug dealer so if you come to my place any day you won’t find nothing. So I want to urge this to the government or anyone because if anything happens to me it’s because they have already told me what they are going to do. So right now I’m so scared but you guys came out here and decided to come to speak my mind. If I am harassed by the police department, I am going to sue the department. I am telling them out-front now; I don’t want to be harassed by them because they are going to speak to my attorney.”

The incident has Rubio contemplating relocation and Rodriguez’s sister, Shanda believes the situation could have been handled differently.

Shanda Rodriguez

“I would just like for the police to hold it down. They got ways how police should carry out their duties, they got ways how they should deal with situations because ih neva have to shoot ah eena ih belly. Ih could ah mi shoot ah pan ih foot because wah belly dah wah tender part ah wah human being. Anything could happen and di far travel weh ih have to do fi reach yah and all ah dehn things. So I just wish they would ah tighten more pan di police force.”

Charles Rubio

“This is the fourth person getting shot on this island.”

Delahnie Bain

“By police?”

Charles Rubio

“By police. And so I am so scared. Right now I’m making up my mind to get out of this country. My oldest brother lives in Oslo and I’m about to buy a ticket, me and my family and get out of here because I’m so scared of this community now.”

Tonight, Rodriguez is in critical but stable condition at the K.H.M.H. and police say that the knife and the police firearm have been recovered. Delahnie Bain for News Five.

Two others that have been shot by police in Caye Caulker are Alex Goff, who was fatally shot by Police Constable Alpheus Parham while in custody in May 2010 and Benedict Lopez, who was shot on Christmas Day while being detained for domestic abuse.