Almost one month after twenty one year old Ashley Zuniga was shot in his foot by an unidentified gunman today he is back on his feet but not back home. Why? That is because tonight he is cooling his heels while behind bars on remand at the Hattieville Prison. What happened? Well on the morning that Zuniga got shot 7NEWS interviewed him at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital.
At that time Zuniga told us that when he was shot he was on his way to the police station to clear his name after he had found out that he was being accused of a holdup and robbery, crime he claims he never committed. But today Zuniga was charged for that case. He appeared in court before Magistrate Roberto Ordonez.
The case presented to the court was that on February 29th, a seventeen-year-old student told police that around nine that morning he was walking on racecourse street when he was approached by fifteen men on bicycles. The student further alleges that he recognized one of the men as Ashley Zuniga who he says threw a bicycle on him. The young man claims that it was at this point that Zuniga grabbed him around his neck, burst his gold chain and rode off.
Around eleven thirty this morning Zuniga in the company of his mother
turned himself in to the police. He was then processed and charged with robbery. Following his court appearance an emotional Emily Zuniga came by our studios to say that her son is innocent of the charge and it is his life now that is being threatened since his name has been connected to the crime.
Emily Zuniga, Mother of Accused
“All I want is for them to leave my son alone, my kids alone. Right now my sons are fearing for their lives because they have been targeted. They put so many people to threaten us. I work very hard for my kids and I am the mother and father of my kids.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
But court reports are saying that the victim of this holdup recognized Ashley Zuniga as the young man who threw his bicycle on the student, grabbed him around the neck, and stole his gold chain.
Emily Zuniga,
“Around 15 young boys, only Ashley he made out? Tell me something, only Ashley face he made out.”
The police prosecutor objected to bail on the grounds of the prevalence of the crime and the fact that the victim is a student. Magistrate Roberto Ordonez then denied Ashley Zuniga bail and he has been remanded to prison until April 18th.
