And while the BDF content with that embarrassment, the Police Department is also under scrutiny for what many say was a wrongful killing on Friday night. It happened in Lord’s Bank Village in front of a bar and when it was over – 41 year old O’Neil Jones – a Jamaican national was dead. Police say Jones had a homemade weapon resembling a gun but witnesses say otherwise. We have both sides of the story.
Keith Swift Reporting,
The shooting happened here near the Ruba Bar on Serosi Street in Lord’s Bank Village. Police say that they responded to reports of a bar brawl at 12:47 on Saturday morning.
Clemente Palacio, Police Press Officer
“When the police arrived they saw a dark skin male person who was leaving. They were told that that person had a firearm and police pursued him. During that pursuit that person was shot by police and of course he received fatal injuries.”
But multiple witnesses who spoke to us both on and off camera dispute that story. They say that O’Neil Jones was leaving the scene when he was shot in his back by the police constable.
Voice of Female Eyewitness,
“An argument was happening here and I went to Jew and told him to
left them to argue because it doesn’t make sense.”
Laura McKoy, Friend of Deceased
“He got into argument saying you guys are family so you should work it out. And so the person turned on him and they had some hard talk and he decided to leave and he was on his way on his bicycle going home when he got shot down.”
Hadie Barrett, Area Resident
“Jewboy was riding off on his bicycle and one police told the other police to shoot him. They asked him to stop and he wouldn’t, he kept riding and they told him to shoot him and the police shot him twice in his back. He went around the corner and he fell.”
O’Neil had been fatally wounded. The matter is now in the hands of a three member team of investigators led by Santiago Ciau from Belmopan.
Clemente Palacio,
“That will be determined by the Internal Affairs which is conducting an investigation and I think will examine all the evidence and determine if
the shooting was unjustified or not.”
Jules Vasquez,
“Was there any provocation?”
Clemente Palacio,
“The police are saying that the person pointed what appeared to be a firearm at them and so they shot him.”
Jules Vasquez,
“Did they recover a firearm?”
Clemente Palacio,
“They recovered a homemade device looking like a firearm.”
Jules Vasquez,
“A homemade device looking like a firearm can be a clothespin.”
Clemente Palacio,
“Yes it can be but since it is a matter under investigation I won’t prejudice what will be revealed. As I mentioned whenever police are involved in a shooting that is subject to an investigation. I don’t want to discuss what will be the evidentiary material in public.”
O’Neil’s friends who were the only family he had in Belize want justice.
Laura McKoy, Friend of Deceased
“The man, the way how he died shot everybody because that is not the way. He was cool, too much of a quiet calm for him to go that way.”
Hadie Barrett,
“How can you shoot someone in their back. If he was fleeing, shoot somebody. There was one guy saying that when you wanted to knock me down off my bicycle, you could have knocked him down off his bicycle instead of shooting him in the back. It cannot be a justifiable, it is not acceptable. We want a relationship with the police and they are not above the law and we are not above the law. The community must work with the police and the police must work with the community.”
Police haven’t released the name of the officer who fired the fatal shot. A post mortem is scheduled for later this week on O’Neill. He moved to Belize two years ago from Jamaica. His remains will be cremated and flown back to Montego Bay where he has a wife and three kids.
