Tonight 37 year old Belize City resident Steven Emmanuel Buckley is in critical condition at the KHMH after he was shot in the head by police last night. Now, any police shooting of a civilian raises alarms – but this one is on another level – there is genuine and understandable outrage. Buckley is a working man; he had just gone to pick up his tools with his boss and they were driving home. But his night ended in a shotgun blast and a blur of blood as these men met a police officer who opened fire at will. It happened around 8:30 and our team was on the scene shortly after.

Jules Vasquez Reporting
This was the scene last night at 9:00 at the corner of Kraal Road and Guerrero Street near the Wilt Cumberbatch Field. This black Dodge truck is the property of Marlon Meyers – a home builder for the Ministry Of Housing. He was with his workman Steven "Cripple" Buckley coming from around the corner on Guerrero street where he picked up his tools. They were stopped by police and the windshield bears the imprint to what happened next.

Marlon Meyers, Driver of Truck
"Two lanes before Fabers Road, the policemen put on their high beam and said, ‘Shut off your vehicle. Out your lights.' I complied, put my vehicle in park, used my right hand, touch the button, out my lights, and I was attempting to open my door. Meanwhile, I heard two shots. Bow, bow! The man said, 'Marlon, … I got shot, … Marlon, I got shot, Marlon' Just like that."

"I said 'Steve, hold on, man. The officer said 'Don't move.' Same time he opened the passenger door and then my light came on and I saw the blood on the door on the passenger side. The blood. Then I realized he got shot for real."

Jules Vasquez,
"It was shoot first, ask questions later."
Marlon Meyers
"Well, I guess so."

Jules Vasquez
"So you did not hesitate?"

Marlon Meyers
"Hell, no. I attempted to open and by the time I opened the door, two shots fired."

Alfonso Juarez
'They didn't even come to the side of the vehicle. They stayed right at their vehicle and shots were fired. Then we came out and then after that they came. We were indicating to them that the man had been shot. We told them [to call the ambulance], do something. All they were telling us was to calm down. They were taking their own sweet time. Then they still expected this man to get out of the vehicle. An officer came by the door, opened the door, then he still expected this man to get out of the vehicle on his own and walk to their mobile. It's an inhumane treatment. Come on! That really doesn't make any kind of sense."

Marlon Meyers
"My front windshield isn't tinted. My two glasses were down. So I don't see no reason. They had on their high beam. They could have seen everybody in the vehicle."

Tamara Westby who lives at the house directly beside where the truck was stopped saw it all – and it started with a black truck being pursued.

Tamara Westby, Neighbour

"I was on my verandah then I saw my vehicle flying from Kraal Road onto Ceaser Ridge. Five seconds behind there was the police vehicle chasing that vehicle. Shortly after, a vehicle came out Guerrero Street onto Kraal Road, black vehicle, just like the one that passed moments earlier. The police vehicle stopped in front of the vehicle and said, 'Stop the vehicle.' The man stopped the vehicle, threw his hands up and two seconds after, two shots fired. The policeman did not say, 'Sir, come out of the vehicle. No kind of discussion or anything. He told the man to stop the vehicle. The man stopped the vehicle and two seconds after, two shots fired. Two shots fired."

Jules Vasquez
"Now at the time you're out there, your daughter is out there as well?"

Tamara Westby
"Yes, my daughter is out there with me. Imagine my child have to go through this. The officer that fired the shot came to the young man and said, 'But, sir, I told you to come out of your vehicle...And that is not true. He did not say that.

But regardless of what he said, Meyers had to cooperate – even after they shot his friend: he worked with police who took his truck into custody, going inside the bloodstained truck to collect his personal possessions. Police drove the truck away to impound it. Under police escort it was taken to the Queen Street station. The sentiment in the area, where the men are known as workers, was raw.

Woman from the neighborhood
"The man works for my mother and builds houses. They were just going to pick up their tool set when the police shot him and the same silver vehicle police came out. It's a big dark police. He shot the man with a pump 12. He had it right in his hand. When he saw the news people, he ran away. They are too chancey. I want to know what Henderson and the Commissioner will say about this.This man is an innocent, hard working man. They work hard. They don't steal or shoot anyone."

Sydney Prince
"That man works hard. That man doesn't gang-bang. He doesn't shoot or kill anyone. That man works hard for his money. That man always tells me... anytime I need a little hand to do construction in the village, hail him. That man has so much pickni. That man has two kids right now with his girl. Why the police have to shoot at the man. I could understand if they want to bust a shot, at least bust one in the yard for a warning. But two shots, man? One and two. The first shot and the second shot -- direct head shot, man. One of the police reported that 16 shots di man took in his head. That doesn't make any sense. What's going on now? A hard-working man all of a sudden is a criminal? That doesn't make any sense. That man has pikni and so to look after. Now, who will look after his children? How are we supposed to tell his children what happened with their father? Their father doesn't gang-bang. He doesn't sell any drugs, nothing like that. How are we supposed to look up to the police? ...That doesn't make any sense. Aren't we supposed to respect them?"

Wife of Meyers
"My husband is a construction worker. My husband came to pick up his tools. Everybody in the field said my husband had already stopped and the police shot through it. I don't know what the police is named but I will get to it. And when I get to it, he has to answer. Because it could have been my husband that was shot. My husband was driving that vehicle. Who they should apprehend and who they should shoot at, they don't shoot at. And this doesn't go so. Because, out here, you work for your money. And everybody knows that my husband works for his money. Everybody knows that my husband is a construction worker."

Tamara Westby
"They don't even say well move, or excuse. They just, BAM, start shooting like they are crazy. And we are supposed to trust them? We are supposed to help them? And this is what they are doing? Killing out our people?"

"I don't trust the police. And I will never trust. I will never. This is the second incident I have with the police. I can't say anymore."

Now, Buckley's wife with whom he shares two kids has to pray for the best.

Buckley's Wife
"He is still critical, doctor said, and they said they have to keep him on the machine so he could breathe because he is not breathing on his own.

Jules Vasquez
"Have the doctors said if they believe that he will live?"

Buckley's Wife
"Well, they say that they really don't know yet but he has a 50-50 chance of living. I believe he will live. He is strong."

Man from neighborhood
"Who is supposed to take care of us? Not them, for sure. If we leave ourselves to them, they will kill us out..."

Quite remarkably, up to 5:50 pm police hade not issued any press release outlining their version of events. A release should have been issued from this morning, but the increasingly mute police press office seems to have difficulty finding the words to explain this one.