And while the cop who shot that dog is still out, the three officers responsible for the death of 30-year-old Edwin Ixpatec are currently behind bars. They were found guilty of manslaughter yesterday and were remanded until November, when they will be sentenced.
And since Ixpatec was killed six years ago, his family's life has been far from normal. They had to deal with the grief of his unexpected death, the terror of being threatened, and the pain of seeing the cops free on bail.
And though they received a sliver of justice yesterday, nothing can take away the trauma that they've faced.
Courtney Menzies spoke with Ixtapec's sister, who is living in the US, via Zoom today and has this story.
In March 2016, 30-year-old Edwin Ixpatec was at Banyan Bay Resort when three cops detained him for allegedly acting disorderly. But it was in their custody that Ixpatec died from blunt force trauma.
After a trial that lasted six years, the three cops - Romelio Logan, Reydel Teck, and Jashimir Cobb - were found guilty of manslaughter yesterday. In court, it was revealed that witnesses saw the officers brutalize Ixpatec.
And after all this time, his sister, Olga Ixpatec says the family is happy they got justice, but believes it should have been murder.
Olga Ixpatec, Sister of Deceased
"I was happy to know that we got served justice but at the same time I felt that the charge was too low because they're supposed to be charged as murder, not manslaughter."
"Everything, like how my brother died, he died of what the police had done to him so I feel like they killed him."
"I seen a lot of cases they they forget about it and they don't do anything about it. So this is like a lesson to other police make them think twice before they do whatever they feel like with people."
But the trauma this family endured didn't end with Ixpatec's death - after that, his sister says her life was thrown into chaos and she was forced to flee the country.
Olga Ixpatec, Sister of Deceased
"It's a very sad process, I had to leave the country because of his death because my family… We made a report against the police station and I got death threats from the police station."
"Two police lady threaten me that day, they tell me, you don't know what you are getting into, you are going against the system. Them after from my work, there was two police always following me and telling me stuff and I felt like they were following me everywhere so two weeks after, I had to leave the country."
"Leaving the country was hard for me because I had to lose my brother and leave my family."
And the family members back home had to deal with seeing the officers who had been out of bail following the manslaughter charge.
Olga Ixpatec, Sister of Deceased
"I was a little concerned because I have two brothers that was working in San Pedro and they used to meet the police and they felt horrible every time they had to ride bike and meet the police working over there in the Jaguars Temple Club and every time they see him there and they said, I feel like do him something but I just keep myself out of it but it's horrible seeing the police walking everywhere like they have done nothing."
"That's something that we cannot, that's a pain that's so much in years, you can't forget that, especially me and the oldest brothers, because we used to be together and now he's not there, like every time we needed something he would call me or I would call him and ask for anything but now, it's different because I feel like how my dad passed away, I feel like everything is on me."
And while they may not be completely satisfied with the result of the trial, they're happy the cops have been found guilty of causing Ixtapec's death.
And according to his sister, the daughter that he left behind will never forget him.
Olga Ixpatec, Sister of Deceased
"According to her aunties, sometimes I ask them about her, and they say she's doing well, she's a happy little girl, smart, and always remembering her dad, mentioning her dad."
And though the trial has concluded, the family of one of the cops, Rogelio Logan, believes he is innocent. His sister contacted our newsroom and claimed that Logan hadn't even been on patrol that night, but rather, was at the station.
However, the judge has ruled that he is in fact guilty of helping to cause Ixpatec's death.
