A Police Constable was shot and killed inside his home in Belmopan last night and tonight police have his common-law wife of 8 years detained for the murder.
The Constable 26-year-old Benedicto Salam was found dead on the verandah of his home in the Las Flores area of Belmopan. Police say the 5 year veteran who was attached to the Anti-Drug Unit was shot with his own.38 service revolver after a domestic dispute. 7NEWS was in Las Flores today and Keith Swift has the full story from family, neighbors, and the police.
Keith SwiftReporting, [From Las Flores, Belmopan]
Emotions were on edge at the Belmopan Hospital this morning as Police Constable Bendicto Salam's family members came together in front of the morgue after hearing the news that he had been killed.
Protascia Sho-Chen, Salam's Aunt
[Sobbing] "I just reached here. I asked the man to show me the body, to see if it is true, and it is true. He was an ADU. I didn't expect this to happen in his own home. Like I tell you I really can't say anything right now because I went to the station and I just came in. I don't know anything about it. I don't know what happened."
It was on this verandah
of his home in the Las Flores area of Belmopan that PC #879 Benedicto Salam was found dead yesterday evening. At this point we don't know exactly what happened but we do know that the man his friends called "Buff Indian" was found slouched over his railing with what appeared to be two gunshots to his back."
Sinquest Martinez, Investigating Officer
"At the scene we saw him bending over his rail afterwhich he was transported to the Western Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. At the scene he was seen what appeared to be two gunshot wounds in bis back, lower back and upper part of his back."
Salam was at home with his common-law wife of the last 8 years, Josefa Choc, and their 3-year-old daughter Tanya.
Police will only say that Josefa seen here at the crime scene this morning is their prime suspect.
Sinquest Martinez,
"At this moment the investigation is pretty young and I do not want to implicate her at this present moment but she is our main suspect and she is being detained."
Keith Swift,
Could this be self-defense?
Sinquest Martinez,
"Its not a matter of self-defense; its more than that at this present moment. There were little issues and little problems and we are looking at that likewise because we need to get to the bottom of what actually transpired."
Those on Amapolla Street here in Las Flores heard the two shots yesterday evening and later saw Salam slouched over his railing. No one, not even Quintiliana Chun who heard the shots from her house right across the street made the connection.
Quintiliana Chun, Witness
"It was not too long after I come home when I heard the thing, POW, I thought it was popshot because I always used to hear that man bursting popshot. And when I heard again, POW, that time I get up and peep. I started to peep here but I didn't see any smoke because when he burst popshot I always see lot of smoke. I see the man leaning on the verandah, only that I see, and when I heard the little girl crying. I heard, 'Daddy,' that is what the little girl said; only that I heard. But I think the girl was frightened. From then I didn't study them, I came back and sit down. I didn't know the man was dead."
Regina Sho and Jose Guzman also live on Amapolla Street and saw Salam slouched over his railing.
Regina Sho, Neighbor
"I come out and I see him on the railing but I mi think he is just resting or vomiting; I didn't know he was dead. I didn't hear them quarrelling, I just saw him on the raring when I come outside on the road side but I didn't know he was dead."
Jose Guzman, Neighbor
"I saw the man lay down right there and I thought maybe was drunk or something but after quite a while, maybe a next half an hour, I passed there and the man was still there so I started to believe that maybe he was dead or something."
Witnesses tell 7NEWS that with Salam still slouched over the verandah, Josefa Choc, the police's main suspect left the house with the couple's daughter after the shooting. She later returned.
Since the couple moved onto Amapolla Street 5 months ago, their neighbors say they didn't observe any domestic problems. Salam's aunt says the relationship was bedeviled by jealousy.
Protascia Sho-Chen, Salam's Aunt
"I didn't really get to know she that much but she always had a problem with my nephew always over jealousy. I think that is why she did this, if she did this."
The couple might have had problems, they had good days like 5 years ago when Salam passed out from the Police Academy. More recently he was with the PD's Anti-Drug Unit for the past 18 months. The PD's flag was at half-mast and Commissioner Gerald Westby says the department is mourning.
Gerald Westby, Commissioner of Police
"The loss of any police is very tragic and unfortunate and this is one of the incidents that we regrettably have to face. I have since met with the family, the mother and the brother and other relatives, in my office this morning and extended the Minister of Home Affairs and Minister Cal's sympathy and the Department's sympathy and have assured the family that we will do our best to assist in their time of bereavement."
Keith Swift,
As the Commissioner how concerned are you that not only was one of your officers shot but he was shot with a police firearm?
Gerald Westby,
"Well that is certainly a concern for us but you know the specialized unit, given the nature of their work, the Anti-Drug Unit. He was scheduled to go on an operation the following morning and so sometimes they are permitted to take along their guns given they are in a specialized unit. But certainly it is a matter of supervision, that these policemen must be supervised, but again the specialized unit are given more latitude when it comes to the possession of firearms because of the nature of their work."
That makes it harder for this family who knew the risk of the Constable's job and were prepared for him to die in the line of duty - not in his home.
Protascia Sho-Chen,
"I still can't believe it. I expect my nephew to get hurt when he was in the line of duty but not at home; not at home."
Rosenda Chen, Cousin
"We can't believe that he is dead. He was a loving person. He was friendly and if he could help you, he help you. He didn't deserve this. He was home relaxing. I expected this to happen on the street, not at home."
A home now a crime scene with a cop dead - mother detained - and daughter left with the memory.
Both Benedicto Salam and Josefa Choc are originally from Punta Gorda. Salam is originally from San Antonio and Choc is originally from Colombia Village. The couple has a 3-year-old daughter who is now staying with Salam's family. Salam will be buried with full police honors in San Antonio on Wednesday.
Late word to 7NEWS is that a post mortem conducted this afternoon certified that Salam died from hypovolemic shock. One of the bullets entered the center of his back and exited through his left arm. The other entered behind the neck and the slug was lodged on the collarbone. We have also confirmed that late this evening Josefa Choc was charged with murder. She will be arraigned in court tomorrow morning.
