Tonight, the family and friends of 25-year-old Andrew McDougal are mourning his death. He passed away shortly before midday at the KHMH. His family claims that he died from internal bleeding due to injuries he suffered at the hands of police officers who allegedly brutalized him.
The incident happened seventeen days ago in the Village of Santa Cruz, a community in the Stann Creek District where he and his girlfriend lived. 7News has obtained a copy of an internal account. And in that report, the detaining officers attempt to paint the picture that McDougal behaved aggressively toward them, resisted arrest, and broke the windshield of their police mobile.
So, we start our coverage of the incident, where the two sides agree on specific facts. McDougal was standing in front of a Santa Cruz village restaurant, and the cops caught him finishing up a marijuana joint. They smelled the aroma of cannabis and immediately confronted him for smoking the drug in public, a minor offense. They allege that he responded with insults and profanity. His family is not so sure about that, but they acknowledge that there was some verbal exchange.
But, that's where the two versions of the incident start to divert because, according to the cops, he attempted to resist arrest. One of the officers claimed that McDougal punched him during that exchange. On the other hand, his family says that they manhandled him when putting him in the back of their mobile.
The officers also claimed that they saw him stamping at the tailgate of their police mobile and that he eventually broke the back glass of their vehicle. They say that he defiantly 'fessed up to that destruction by cursing out the officers. The police report then finished by noting that he refused to give them his name.
But, there is no mention of what happened to McDougal while he was in their custody, and according to the family, that's when they allegedly put a major beatdown on him. The complication is that he has hemophilia, a type of genetic bleeding disorder that prevented him from healing. According to the family, his injuries worsened, and his limbs started swelling from the excess blood. Today, his health took a turn for the worse, and he died from internal bleeding.
Late this evening, we got a chance to speak off-camera with his girlfriend, who told us about his ordeal in the hospital after being injured:
Voice of: Myrna Alonzo, Girlfriend of the Deceased
"I wasn't there, but I got a call that police was harassing him for one stick of weed and then they call me and tell me that the police was beating him out there and they flung him in the vehicle and took him to Independence Village at the time. When I came down, he was not there, so I call him mom and inform her and then we went to Independence on Sunday and when we reached there, he was already beaten and bleeding and he cannot walk."
Reporter
"I don't know if you guys had a opportunity to have a conversation with him before his health took a turn for the worse?"
Voice of: Myrna Alonzo, Girlfriend of the Deceased
"Yes, when we reach to Independence Police Station, we ask to see him, because of his sickness and my mother-in-law went in and gave him his medication, because he cannot walk and he was beaten bad and he was bleeding and then we gave him his medication and we rushed him to the polyclinic in Independence."
"When we reach Independence Village Sunday morning we spoke to him and then he say that he was at the restaurant and the police came and told him he was smoking in public. He responded back to them, but he didn't tell me what he said and then he said the police start doing him a lot of things."
"He only told us that when they were transporting him to Independence Village they kick him and punch him."
Reporter
"Ma'am, has your boyfriend have any sort of confrontations with police?"
Voice of: Myrna Alonzo, Girlfriend of the Deceased
"This is the time I know they did this to him. But about 3 years ago before we became boyfriend and girlfriend, the police had hit him and hurt one of his legs."
Reporter
"Tell us about today."
Voice of: Myrna Alonzo, Girlfriend of the Deceased
"We got the news that he passed away from what the police has done to him, because he has a sickness, but he never would be in this situation of they didn't beat him up and yes, he died because of the injuries he had, because he had an internal bleeding in his head. They didn't had to beat him like an animal, because he is not an animal."
"Everyone knows what we are going through right now and I won't be able to see him again and all I am asking for is justice for what they have done to him."
We have contacted the Police Department and Police Commissioner Chester Williams for comment on this family's allegations.
