A man was shot on Handyside Street early Sunday morning and he claims that the number two man at the Guatemalan Embassy was the shooter. The question now is, will diplomatic immunity shield him from prosecution?
Details are hard to come by since Police Press Officer G. Michael Reid described the case as sensitive, but we do know that 22 year old Danny Diaz told police that he got into an argument with 30 year old Cesar Palma around 3:50 am near the Copa Cabana Nightclub on Handyside Street. Diaz claims that that 30-year-old Palma pulled out his 9-millimeter gun and allegedly shot him in the left side of his stomach. Diaz was admitted to the KHHM where he remains in a stable condition tonight. He refused our request for an interview today.
Police say Palma - who is the vice-consul at the Guatemalan Embassy - has been questioned but not detained. Of course if anyone else was involved in a firearm incident, they would be given a one-way ticket to jail. G. Michael Reid said he could not comment on whether the Consul's alleged crime was covered by diplomatic immunity. This is the second time in as many months that the an official from Guatemalan Embassy has been in the news. Earlier this year the Ambassador's vehicle came under fire as it passed through the Collet area.
