A police sergeant killed a corporal early this morning at the San Pedro Police Station after he shot him multiple times. It is a stunning occurrence, and a story that has whipped up a storm of controversy that’s spinning in all directions. We’ll have those angles, shortly but first to what happened. Jim McFadzean has been on San Pedro all day gathering the details. Here’s his story.
Jim McFadzean Reporting,
Reports are that the shots which rang out sometime around three this morning were the result of an altercation between two feuding cops which got its start here at this famous San Pedro Night Club, called Wet Willy’s.
Martin Segura, Assistant Commissioner of Police
“From the initial investigation conducted, it reveals that at about 11:45 pm on Wednesday the 17th of March, Sgt. Paulino Reyes was working special duty in uniform at Wet Willy’s Night Club situated on the beachfront where his attention was drawn to two BDF and a police officer having altercation with a person identified as Corporal Gavin Sanchez. At about 12 midnight Sgt. Reyes escorted Gavin Sanchez outside of that premises with the assistance of the BDF and PC Jeffrey Martinez of the San Pedro Police Station. He was later escorted to the San Pedro Police Station. Whilst at the station Cpl. Sanchez was behaving disorderly and even uttered words, threatening that he would kill that boy and in the presence of other officers at the station.
Subsequent entries were made by the officers in the diary. At about 2:30 after the conclusion of the event at Wet Willy’s, Sgt. Reyes arrived at
the police station and he made entries in the station diary in regard to the previous incident at Wet Willy’s, that he had with Cpl. Sanchez including the information he received that Sanchez would be waiting for him behind the station. Sgt. Reyes along with two BDF then went to the barrack room where shortly thereafter those shots were heard being fired.”
And that’s the timeline of the incident which led to the shooting death of Cpl. Gavin Sanchez, offered by the Police Brass at this afternoon’s press conference. However, the discovery of a number of items ranging from the victim’s passport to M-16 ammunition is now only fuelling intense speculation surrounding the shooting of Cpl. Sanchez. The question now is why would a supervising police officer find the need to unleash 9 bullets from his official issued 9 mm pistol into a fellow cop.
James Magdaleno, Assistant Commissioner of Police
“We have since recovered nine expended 9 mm shells, six slugs found on the hallway, on the wall of the hall, one 9 mm Ruger brand pistol with serial number 3072466 and magazine with two live 9 mm rounds, one.45 Springfield brand pistol with five.45 live rounds and one magazine bearing serial number N307216, one piece of aluminium measuring two feet by eleven and a half inches and two and a half inches in width, one white bullet proof vest found on the body of the deceased with one slug, blood stains on tennis shoes of the victim.”
Jim McFadzean,
“The report that there was a feud between Cpl. Sanchez and Sgt. Reyes, that an altercation started at the nightclub and then of course it ended up
here with the shooting incident. Do you know what the feud was about and have you reports of that?”
Martin Segura,
“So far we can confirm that yes it started at the premises. I cannot elaborate into the fact of his condition because then the forensics will establish if he was under the influence of alcohol/drugs. But his behaviour was tackled by the Sergeant and as a result from there he came to the station and it continued. But exactly motive as to say if there was an ongoing previous grievances, we cannot at this point in time tell you exactly.”
Jim McFadzean,
“So he wasn’t arrested, just a follow-up question, he wasn’t arrested at Wet Willy’s?”
Martin Segura,
“He was detained and escorted to the station by the Sergeant. The Sergeant gave a directive to escort him to the station.”
Jim McFadzean,
“And it was as a result of threats heard by officers at the police station that the Sergeant went to Cpl. Sanchez’s room?”
Martin Segura,
“As mentioned in the interim report given, when the Sergeant returned
to the station, he made subsequent entries in the diary and which in fact he was informed that there were some threats. As a result that Sergeant asked the BDF to accompany him to the barracks.”
Jose Sanchez, News 5
“The M16 magazine, is that a police issued? Does Cpl. Sanchez have a license to have that magazine?”
Martin Segura,
“At this point in time we can confirm that he was a licensed holder for a 9 mm. The other weapon and ammunition, the M16 rounds, it is normally rounds issued to military and also to officers of the SPU and ADU. Some stations do have these type of weapons also but for your record purpose, the investigation is still ongoing.”
Jim McFadzean,
“There were some reports that the Sergeant was physically assaulted by Cpl. Sanchez. Is that a part of your report or findings and how does the aluminium pipe coming into all of this?”
Martin Segura,
“Like we said we informed the case scenario from here to where the incident occurred. There are many little gaps that we need to iron out. I cannot afford at this stage to make a comment into that aspect because we are looking at the two angles of the investigation, the criminal and the internal. But I won’t be at that position right now to say if there was an altercation because we as we speak we are still recording statements. So it would be too premature at this point in time to issue all of these speculations and I think in the interest also of the investigation and not…..”
Jim McFadzean,
“But finally for most people that will hear this report tonight, are you concerned about the number of shots that were fired?”
Martin Segura,
“Reconstructing a crime scene and looking the chain of events, the investigation should dictate why those shots were fired, the justification, and as I said at this point in time will be too premature. We are still going over the witness statements, re-interviewing the witnesses who were at the scene at the time and then I would certainly say yes, why I am concerned.”
This shocking cop on cop killing comes on the heel of a spate of recent crimes which have touched a nerve on this island. And the question now is, will San Pedro go back to the old draconian measures of returning persons deemed undesirable, and suspected criminals back to the mainland.
Hon. Manuel Heredia, Minister of Tourism
“That is what we would like. Definitely that is what we would like and that has been brought to the attention of the authorities that in the past many of the officers responsible for taking control of the island, that is what they used to do. Times have changed and it is very regretful because now with the human rights and so, there are many people who will say oh you are taking away the privilege of particularly when it happens to the Creole descent, that is the first thing that you will hear. But again I feel that if we have to do that then we have to do it because we have to regain our community.”
Elsa Paz, Mayor of San Pedro
“San Pedro right now, 80% of its population are people that come from the districts and the neighbourhood countries to make San Pedro their home because of the tourism industry and I believe that, I don’t blame anyone, this is not a time to be blaming government, the Mayor, local authorities, or other businesses or whatever. I believe to have a safe community we have to get together.”
It’s an interesting but alarming paradigm. This spiralling downward slide of how Belizeans have come to calibrate their own sense of self-security. Surely this most recent of homicides that now plague this nation, this cop on cop killing, is sure to drive the final nail into a national psyche that things just cant get any worse. Reporting for Seven News, from San Pedro, I’m Jim McFadzean.
A number of issues arise, not least of which is the fact that the official police report says that a.45 pistol was found beside Corporal Sanchez after he was killed. A 45 pistol is a strictly prohibited firearm not approved for use even by police.
