Last week, we told you how police charged two of their own for allegedly firing weapons on the sea in front of San Pedro.
That's where CARICOM leaders were gathered for their Inter-sessional Meeting. The meeting area was supposed to be a completely sterile and safe zone for all these CARICOM diplomats, but according to police, 2 officers - who were supposed to have been providing security - allegedly disrupted that environment when they fired weapons in the general area, while they were on a boat.
We are informed that the initial plan was that they would be charged with discharging a firearm while in public. But, when they were finally escorted before the presiding magistrate, they were arraigned on the offense of being in possession of a firearm while under the influence of alcohol.
Viewers will remember that Police Commissioner Chester Williams asserted that they were remanded to Belize Central Prison. Well, that's because they were charged with a gun-related offense, and so, in the normal course, that would have been the outcome. We understand, however, after their arraignment on Thursday, their attorney managed to apply for Supreme Court bail that same evening. Their bail petition was heard on Friday, and at the conclusion, the presiding judge granted them bail.
Also, of interesting note is that since this incident became public knowledge, a different version of the events has been brought to the attention of our newsroom. In this alternate scenario, the defendants are being wrongfully accused of firing weapons near the sterile area, and that they were the victims of unwarranted, hostile gunfire.
The counter-narrative suggests that the officers - who were off-duty - were being escorted back to their rooms at a resort on the island and that their host chose to use a boat instead of a golf cart. And, different from what has been stated publicly, someone allegedly fired shots in their direction. It is being alleged that the defendants are being blamed for the gunshots as an excuse to cover the tracks of the real shooters, who are supposedly also serving police officers.
It has been suggested to us that the defendants have no prior history of criminal behavior and that one of them has a distinguished career as a member of 2 military organizations before joining the police.
