That’s just one of the issues that the family and friends of Corporal Gavin Sanchez are looking at with extreme scrutiny and increasing concern that their loved one may have been executed. But more important to them right now is the number of gun shot wounds on the deceased; those with some expertise in law enforcement who have seen the body say there were three shots to his head – including the bottom of the chin, forehead and left eye, then shots to the shoulder, left leg, right ankle and right hand. Again that is the report from those who have seen the body, as no post mortem has been conducted.
But the disclosure of those injuries is important because they suggest the use of extreme force and the question is whether it was justifiable or proportional. Today Gavin Sanchez’s wife Tharalee spoke to us just after the body arrived in the city.
Tharalee Sanchez, Wife of Cpl. Sanchez
“I just saw them wheel my husband into the morgue with so many bullet shots on him. That is not the husband I know. The Gavin Andres Sanchez, it is not him that I know. What I hear on news the 12:30 this afternoon on the radio is that he had some kind of altercation with this Sergeant. The Gavin Sanchez
I know always had a 9 milimeter on his side, not a 45 like how they are putting it. No 45 he has. Everywhere he goes he has his that.
If they said he hauled a pipe to whap this man, where is his gun. And another thing, this is how I know my husband, on the news they said he point the gun at the Sergeant. He wouldn’t point no gun and let the Sergeant shot him first. He would shoot that Sergeant before the Sergeant shoot him. However they are putting it, I don’t think that is how it happened. I just want them to tell me what went on, what happened. That is all I want to know, the truth about what happened. I wasn’t there so I can’t say it.
This is my babies, Teandra Sanchez and Gavin Sanchez. This idiot made my husband gone left me and my two small babies. What was he thinking about? Two small babies. Now how will I go home and break the news to them that their father is dead, their father won’t come back. How will I break the news to them?
This thing happened like minutes to four this morning. What time right now, minutes to three. 4, 5,6,7,8,9,10, 11,12,1,2,3. Friggin 10 to 11 hours and 11 gunshots, not even an animal is supposed to get shot that much. What he did for this man to shot him so many times.”
So far police have taken 14 statements from police and independent eyewitnesses. There are two parallel investigations, one internal and the other criminal. A text message discovered in the cell phone of Sanchez was sent to Superintendent Arnold at 12:33 am – but the content of that message is not being revealed as yet. There’s also a letter requesting vacation leave in the knapsack along with his passport and those live M-16 rounds. The island town of San Pedro of an estimated 22 thousand residents coupled with annual inflow of tourists is secured by 29 police officers supported by a detachments of 8 BDF.
