ACP Chester Williams, Professional Standards Branch, Commander
"Sometime in the early hours of Thursday gone, police responded to an incident on San Antonio Road here in Orange Walk Town. Upon arrival police observed two male persons severely beaten and two others who complained of having been beaten by some persons who were dressed in battlefield type uniforms. As a result of that complaint, the individuals were taken to the Northern Regional Hospital where hours later one Ariel Salazar who was one of the persons passed away and the other individual, one Mr. Paiz is still admitted in the Northern Regional hospital with injuries to the body, the other two individuals were not severely beaten so they were treated and released from the hospital. Police investigation has so far led to the detention of 8 persons, 7 who are elements of the Belize Defense Force and one of the Belize Police Department. The police officer who is detained is assigned to the BSAG so are the BDF all of them are assigned to the BSAG."

Reporter
"Are you able to tell us what these men were doing at this house? We understand they went looking for a cell phone, is this within the purview of BSAG?"

ACP Chester Williams
"Well from investigation yes we have obtained information that they were asking these young men about a cell phone and because information about the cell phone was not forthcoming that was the reason why the beat down occurred as to your second question whether this was within the scope of BSAG responsibility, the answer is no, matters of this nature should have been dealt with the by the Orange Police detachment ad not BSAG."

Courtney Weatherburne, reporter
"So they were on personal business, they didn't get any directive to go search that house?"

ACP Chester Williams
"They had no directive from the officer commanding Orange Walk, nor the Northern Regionals Commander nor the Commissioner of Police, no one per say who could have given them permission to be there, gave them no authority to be there."

Courtney Weatherburne
"As it relates to the cell phone was there any official complaint made in term of the theft of the cell phone?"

ACP Chester Williams
"No official complaint was made at the Orange Walk police station. Obviously the young lade on whose information they were acting on reported directly to them but what they ought to have done was convey that information to the Orange Walk police."

Courtney Weatherburne
"Can you say the connection between this woman and these officers for her to go and report directly to them and for them to act just as from her command?"

ACP Chester Williams
"Well we are not seeing anything as yet to show that there is any special connection between the two of them, apparently she was out and she saw the vehicle, she saw they were dressed in the way they were dressed and she assumed they were law enforcement officers and she reported it to them."

Courtney Weatherburne
"It seems that they reacted in an emotional manner, it seems they would have some connection with her to pick up themselves, go raid this house and kill this guy?"

ACP Chester Williams
"Well I can't say if that is the case but from what investigation is showing there is no special connection between them?"

Reporter
"Sir are police questioning this woman?"

ACP Chester Williams
"Yes we are in the process of getting a statement from her."

"They surely acted criminally not only out of order, they acted criminally and if it is that the investigation reveals that they are really the ones who did it then they will be dealt with criminally like any other person."

ACP Williams added that he sees no reason why the officers needed masks in an urban area. He stressed that there are both criminal and internal investigations underway.

A post mortem found that Salazar died from blunt force trauma, kidney and liver rupture.