Three years ago, news broke that 36-year-old Allyson Major Jr. was shot in the head in downtown Belize City. He was being pursued in a dangerous, high-speed chase through the downtown area, and that chase ended when his vehicle crashed into a bus.
The bullet, which ended dup claiming his life, was believed to have been fired by one of the police officers chasing him. The deadly use of force by an officer on duty was a source of major controversy. The accused officer's police boss, Commissioner Chester Williams, publicly agreed that the lethality was disproportionate to the threat posed to the pursuing cops.
They allegedly wanted to search Major after reportedly seeing him make a drug pickup on George Street. They also reported that they recovered 118 grams of cannabis - about 4 ounces - which they claim was thrown from his vehicle. His family says that he was in his mother's vehicle and had left her home 10 to 20 minutes earlier to buy food for his children.
Today, the police officer charged with Major's unlawful killing was acquitted in the Supreme Court, much to the anger and disappointment of the grieving family. 7News was at court shortly after the acquittal was announced in the trial, and Daniel Ortiz has that story:
Almost exactly 3 years ago, 36-year-old Allyson Major was fatally hit by a bullet believed to have been fired by police. His vehicle crashed into a bus at the foot of the Swing Bridge in Belize City.
He was being pursued by a group of policemen in a high-speed chase, and after his vehicle came to a violent stop, bystanders and responding police realized that he was hit in the head by a gunshot that penetrated his pickup's rear window.
File: July 30, 2019
Chester Williams - Commissioner of Police
"The truth is from what I have seen excessive force was used. We cannot run away from that. When we are in pursuit of any vehicle or person, we must ensure that the force used is proportionate to whatever threat is being faced. From what I have been briefed, there was nothing to indicate Mr. Major posed any threat to the officers who were in pursuit."
This afternoon, Police Corporal Kent Martinez, the officer who investigators charged with manslaughter by negligence for Major's death. The presiding judge agreed with his attorney that he had no case to answer to, based on the prosecution's evidence in the trial.
Oscar Selgado - Attorney For the Defense
"When the crown closed its case, there was insufficient evidence that had been marshaled by the prosecution from its five - from its 19 witnesses to safely convict Kent Martinez. And therefore, I made a no-case submission. That was a submission that was based on a point of law that the evidence at its highest point, was so weak and tenuous that even a properly-directed jury could not safely and properly convict on it. So, where there is some evidence and a properly directed jury may convict on it, could convict on it, the question is whether they should convict on it and whether if they convict on it, it will be just and fair. The crown, heavily - heavily - relied upon the forensic analysis done at the National Forensic Sciences Laboratory in Ladyville, and the Crown submitted a 13-page report from the learned expert, a forensic analyst in this matter. But the analysis of the metal jackets, two metal jackets - metal fragments that were removed from the brain of the deceased during the postmortem did not bear sufficient descriptions and information to make a comparison of them to anything to any of the shells that were recovered or to any other bullet fragments that were removed from the crime scene. And so, the forensic analyst held that in her expert opinion, any theory would have been inconclusive to draw. So, there was no forensic or ballistic proof that what was removed from the brain of the disease was what was fired from any of the firearms that were removed from the crime scene."
Corporal Martinez gets to put this saga behind him. But for the family of the deceased, the outcome has salted old wounds which have not healed. Allyson Major's wife says that she and her family are extremely disappointed, but she was already bracing for an acquittal of the accused officer.
Rhonda Major - Wife of the Deceased
"Well, of course, I feel helpless. I feel hopeless. I feel cheated, everything that you could think about. But to be honest, I have no faith, absolutely no faith in the judicial system of Belize. So, I prepared myself to expect this outcome, but yet it's another thing to hear it coming from the judge this afternoon. So, it was a little bit devastating. How can you have police investigating themselves? The crime was committed by a group of police officers, not one police officer because I feel that all officers in that vehicle should be held accountable. It cannot be put on only one officer. And that's just not right, in my opinion. The bullet didn't fly - didn't come from the sky. Somebody had to fire a bullet, and that bullet was aimed at my husband's head. I mean, he didn't deserve that death. If it was me, because I believe anything could happen in Belize - if it was me, he would be fighting for me."
Police Corporal Kent Martinez stood trial before a jury of three women and six men. The presiding judge was Justice Ricardo O'Neil Sandcroft.
Court reports are that he directed the jury to return a verdict of not guilty after agreeing with a no-case submission by defense attorney Oscar Selgado. The forensics report said that more than one gun was fired that day at Allyson Major. Unfortunately, no comparison was made available to the court between the police-issued firearms and the bullet fragments that were extracted from the victim, Allyson Major.
During his directions to the jury, the judge said, quote, "I am not here to speculate. [The] evidence must be sure so that the prosecution makes you sure. Selgado made a no-case submission that the burden of proof was not met. So, you must return a not guilty verdict." End quote.
With that, Martinez was allowed to leave court after his acquittal was finalized.
