Tonight, a 24 year old man is in the Western Regional hospital in critical condition after he was shot in the back by police.
Cruz Castillo was wanted by police for a number of robberies and when they got word of his whereabouts on Saturday morning - a team was dispatched to bring him in.
But what unfolded next was far from routine. As Monica Bodden found out, the family - while accepting that Cruz Castillo should have been arrested - is claiming that police used unnecessary and excessive force:…
Monica Bodden Reporting
Today Stanley Herrera walked us through the area of his property where his nephew -24 year old Cruz Castillo - was shot by police.
It happened early Saturday morning - about 7 o'clock.
According to Herrera, his nephew was wanted by police in connection with a robbery. At the time, he had no idea what was really going on.
He was first informed by Castillo's older brother that the young man was on his property and had spent the night - and he might have been hiding from the police.
Herrera said he immediately called the Belmopan police department. He was met by 4 police officers in Cotton Tree Village -who then proceeded towards his property.
Stanley Herrera - Uncle
"When I came out from my yard droving out to the street I met the police unit and when I met the police unit they told me that i need to show them where my building is because they heard that Cruz is there. I said that I just heard about that this morning but sure I can show you where it is. I said but if Cruz is there when he sees you guys he is going to run and they said ok can we ride with you in your vehicle? I said sure two of you can go with me."
At that time the officers proceeded towards Herrera's property.
Stanley Herrera - Uncle
"When I got here I ask my day watchman - is Cruz here? And he said yes he is here but he went over into the bushes to do something. I said OK, I told the police officers - I said just wait, hide behind the building because when Cruz see you he is going to run, I said so I am just going to look around and see. I went through the main entrance of the building here, I went around the corner over to where they told me he went into the bush and I saw Cruz coming out from the bush, I said Cruz come I need to talk to you. I said you know my policy, you use to work here with us and you know how I run this place, why are you here? I said in fact you know I don't even want to know why are you here, the police apparently they say that they are looking for you and this is going to be a problem, I really do not want this here."
According to Herrera, 4 police officers were on standby - inside the corridor of his building.
Stanley Herrera - Uncle
"At this time I am actually watching the police officers coming, Cruz didn't see them because his back was actually turn to where the police were coming from, I facing the police and he facing me so the police came right up behind him, he didn't even knew, I know for a fact that he didn't even knew how much police officers were there. The police said to him 'police Cruz, put your hands up' and so he put his hands up and the police came had his gun in the right hand start frisking him with his left hand and then while frisking him with his left hand I don't know what happen, I don't know what Cruz was thinking at that point in time but saw his hands went down like that and he run off."
Herrera said it only took a matter of seconds before the officer shot his nephew.
Stanley Herrera - Uncle
"By the time he moves off 'bang' and I heard him bawl and I saw him limp and he fell to the ground and I taught maybe he got shot in the leg, that was my first thing, about 10 feet away I would assume that he would have gotten shot in the leg and so I didn't even go over there because I was like shock, that happen right there, I was very shock and then I heard the police said come we got to take him right now to the hospital and then i realize that it was serious."
Cruz was shot to the back and is listed in a critical condition at the Western regional hospital.
Stanley Herrera - Uncle
"They told me that he had lost a kidney, his lungs are punctured, his guts was actually torn up and something was also mess up with his liver."
Monica Bodden
"He was shot where?"
Stanley Herrera - Uncle
"He was shot in the lower part of the back, somewhere on the left side, the lower part of the back and the bullet went in, went up and came through just a little below the chest and after all the damage was done, the bullet then exit him and the doctors are saying he is critical."
For Herrera, he strongly believes that his nephew did not have to be shot by the police.
Stanley Herrera - Uncle
"It is not justifiable, I feel bad, the reason why I feel so bad is because I came out here with the intention that; Cruz listens to me; the police would have come they would have hold him, they would have cuff him, they would have take him and question him for whatever they have against him or whatever they say he did. I had no idea that they would have come and then he would have been shot just like that. My thing is that when he attempt to run because I would even call that running - 10 feet away from a police officer that is train to catch a criminal if they want to call it that - 10 feet away is attempt to run, i mean he attempted to run and they shot him right there. The police didn't even get out of his track to say chase him, not even get out of his track to say lets chase this guys a little bit. If you look over there you can see how clean this place is, there were enough space for these police officers to at least chase him down and see of they could have catch him. imagine I am talking to you right now, you are watching, I am watching you, there is two cops coming behind you, you don't even know they are coming, I mean there are two police officers, they should have been able to just grab him, throw him on the ground - I would have help them hold him down just so that they could have done it that way he wouldn't have been in the hospital right now suffering."
Castillo is the father of a four month old child.
Police sent an official account of the story this evening and it says that Police saw Castillo standing with his back towards them speaking to another man. Police say they approached Castillo, and PC Scott ordered him to freeze. They say that Castillo instead attempted to flee and reached for something in his pants waist. PC Scott then shot Castillo in his left lower back.
Police have launched a criminal and internal investigation.
