4 police officers charged in connection with the shooting of Unitedville youth
Four cops have been charged in connection with the shooting of a Unitedville youth. The officers: police constables Maxwell Valerio and Jesus Marroquin and Special Constable Ernesto Budna, as well as their patrol leader, Corporal Ricky Valencia, were jointly charged for harm at the San Ignacio Police Station late Thursday evening. Marroquin, however, was additionally charged with attempted murder, use of deadly means of harm and wounding upon nineteen-year-old Elston Arnold. Except for Marroquin, all officers were given police bail this morning and all four will be formally arraigned on Monday morning in the San Ignacio Magistrate’s Court. The shooting for which the officers have been accused occurred around one a.m. on May twenty-sixth, as Arnold and four of his cousins were heading home from a wake in Ontario village. It’s not known what incited the shooting, but one of the officers under the command of Corporal Valencia, pulled the trigger. Arnold was shot once to the back by a police issued pump twelve shotgun as he and his cousins approached the bus stop in the village. This morning, Deputy Officer Commanding the San Ignacio Police Formation, Inspector Reymundo Reyes, spoke to News Five about the indictment of four of their own.
Insp. Reymundo Reyes, Deputy O.C., San Ignacio Police Formation
“Yesterday evening, directives were given that the four officers be charged for the crime of harm and additionally, PC Marroquin was charged for attempt murder, use of deadly means of harm and wounding.”
Duane Moody
Reymundo Reyes
“When will these persons be arraigned?”
Insp. Reymundo Reyes
“These persons will be arraigned until Monday. The reason being because we don’t have a magistrate here in San Ignacio nor in Belmopan. So three of the officers have been given Justice of the Peace bail and Mister Marroquin, he has to remain because of the attempt murder charge.”
Duane Moody
“What does this say sir to the work of the police and making sure that you know what, it doesn’t matter…whether you are doing a crime, you pay the price?”
Insp. Reymundo Reyes
“Well that is why I mentioned from initial stage that the investigation will be properly investigated. And at the end of the investigation, this is the end result that we have; people were arrested and charged as a result of what we have on the file.”
Duane Moody
“All four have been placed on interdiction?”
Insp. Reymundo Reyes
“We are still waiting for that letter to be sent to us, but our headquarters have been informed of the outcome of the case.”
That’s exactly what I said a couple days ago. He should have been charged immediately with “attempted murder.” Let’s see if this is going to go through and justice will be done. Yes, we have t respect and appreciate our lawmen but at the same time, too many of them feel as if they can go out there and do anything because they are untouchable. Maybe this, and a few other cases brought against abusive police officers will restore the trust of the public.
Even in the Police department we see games being played. The police do have a record of the patrol crew who went to United Ville on that night. They have a record of what guns they took, and who signed for the gun or guns. They have a record of their names and ranks, but a young man was shot and another beaten, and if I was shot in my back, how can I identify who shot me? That a freaking joke! The story is, the police out there know who participated in the beating and who fired the shot, but they don’t want anyone charged or thrown in jail for these injustice. What is our country coming to, if policed can go around beating and shooting the citizens they vowed to protect, and to make matters worse, not for any wrong doing?
its not the first time that the officer maroquin has shot someone actually in 2005 he was alleged of killing a burglar