But what if you felt that, in your particular situation, the police could offer neither help nor protection.
One Belize City youth is in hiding, he says he was marked for death but Dwayne Gabourel was killed in his place.
Tonight he speaks exclusively with 7 News about the murder of the 15-year-old that has the nation incensed and him feeling survivors guilt. We have distorted his voice and concealed his face:
By now every man, woman, and perhaps child in Belize knows Dwayne Gabourel's story. He's the innocent child who lost his life to a cruel and callous gunman while buying a pack of bread. And since his death rumors have swirled that he was either wearing the wrong colour or that he was mistaken for someone else.
On Monday the COMPOL himself rejected that saying this was no accident:
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"And to shoot or to kill a man because of a colour then you're worse than a monster. At the end of the day this whole idea of mistaken identity, bullcrap, if you want to shoot somebody make sure you know who the hell you're shooting. I don't buy that nonsense there."
"They wanted to make a statement and the shot anybody and they must pay the consequence for it."
But this afternoon our cameras followed a car to an area of Belize City far removed from Victoria street, where we found a young man who could easily be mistaken for Dwayne. He says if Dwayne was the "shut" then he's Harry.
Voice Intended Target (DISTORT VOICE)
"It's just mistaken Identity you get the sense they just took the young bwoy for me or my family because we big like young bwoy you get the sense but all I want to know same way too is that they just chance the youth innocently out of his life, you get the sense, the youth get chance because of a red shirt and this country is a free country you get the sense mami."
And whether it's survivor's remorse or just plain and simple empathy this young man says he's hurt by Dwayne Gabourel death.
Reporter
"That young guy they say he was so quiet, he didn't even play on the basketball court on his street, stuck to his yard, when you think about what a private person he was how does that make you feel?"
Voice Intended Target (DISTORT VOICE)
"That makes me get emotional you get the sense because me and the young guys father straight you get the sense and they sayy they took him for me that's totally wrong because he was a youth that youth could of been Belize's next Prime Minister. That hurt me that more than hurt me you get the sense because the point is the young bwoy when he got the first shot in his arm the young guy turned around to the gunman and the gunman still brutally killed him and shot him in his head innocently so that wrong you understand me."
And because of that this Harry who they never caught has said goodbye to Victoria street for the foreseeable future.
Reporter
"Now you've fled the area, no plans to go back anytime soon I assume?"
Voice Intended Target (DISTORT VOICE)
"No mein way would I go back around there to lose my life."
