Last night we told you that the Director of Public Prosecutions had taken the decision not to bring charges against Sergeant Paulino Reyes who shot and killed Corporal Gavin Sanchez in the San Pedro.
The was the bottom line in a ten page memo that the DPP sent to the police on Tuesday. After a quite thorough review of evidence she concludes that the Sergeant acted in self defense. On the night in question when the two officers had a misunderstanding at a local club, she says Sanchez said openly and repeatedly that he would kill Reyes - and additionally sent his officer commanding a text message confirming that he would do so.
v
7news has now obtained a copy of that memo and the DPP explains that after this and other statements of provocation, Sanchez went to Reyes's room armed with a .45 pistol and wearing a bullet proof vest and struck him across the head with a length of steel. When Reyes came back out he was armed with his 9 millimeter pistol - and before Sanchez could fire the forty five even once, he let off 9 shots.
The most controversial finding is that the police forensic pathologist Dr. Mario Estradabran found that the first 7 shots did not immobilize Sanchez - and that Reyes continued shooting until he fell, which only happened after the eighth and ninth shots. Estradabran found that there is no evidence those final two shots to the head were fired after Sanchez was already on the ground.
Estradabran states that only those made him fall to the ground - while the other seven shots just had Sanchez staggering backwards.
There is no eyewitness to the crime as the BDF soldier who was in the area ran ff when he saw the two armed officers start to go at each other.
And so, the DPP concludes that there is no evidence to support a charge of murder and quote, "directing the arrest and charge of sergeant Reyes t this time would be an exercise in futility as no trial could properly proceed."
That news was given to corporal Sanchez's wife Tara on Tuesday afternoon. She told us she just doesn't find it believable and thinks it was a cover up:…
Taralee Sanchez, Wife
"Well I personally think it is a cover up yes."
Jules Vasquez
"Do you think that the department which he serve for 10 years is covering up for the higher ranking officers sergeant Reyes?"
Taralee Sanchez, Wife
"Maybe not the whole department but certain officers in the department I think so yes. When they bring the body in the pick up truck at the morgue, his ankle was shattered; his knee. I am not any expert but then if you shot somebody and their bone got broken I don't think that could have never be a flesh wound. If I only sprain my foot I know I can't stand up on it. So if somebody foot broke; if their bones are broken I mean you have to go down. So with the first 7 shots be flesh wound I don't know what to say about that. According to what she say that 7 shots being flesh wound, 7 shots is just too much. After he serve almost 10 years of his life to this department and for him to go just like that, I don't know how to explain that."
Now this expecting mother is coping with the loss and being strong for her two kids - knowing that the third won't know her father and her father died not knowing of her:
Taralee Sanchez, Wife
"The way I found out was that I was suppose to get donations from Social Security, we had to do a pregnancy test in case there was another one on the way and I was like no I am not expecting no other children so when I did took the test and it was positive I was like he gone and didn't even know he had another child on the way. I just pray to God every day, I wake up and go to sleep crying, I don't know, I have my other 2 children too; one is 6 and the other is 5 and sometimes they ask me 'mommy i miss my daddy' and I don't know what to tell them because it's very hard to lose him, he was somebody who was always around and to think about it that he will never ever come back again, I don't know how to explain. When they ask me about their dad I just tell them that he is up in heaven with God and now there is an angel watching over us. But then it create an anger in them because whenever they talk about their dad they want to know why this man had to kill my daddy. My son is only 4 years old and the kind of hatred that it created in him it's like 'I will just kill Reyes when I see him' imagine the mentally that my son will grow up with. That is very hard for me to deal with sometimes."
Jules Vasquez
"You know like a lot of time bad things happen in your life and you just say if you can just take back one or two little things, just backspace, just go back a little bit and things would have taken a different turn, you must probably go through that a lot."
Taralee Sanchez, Wife
"Every day I wake up and like......."
But she still has hope that her husband's death will be vindicated.
Jules Vasquez
"Are you still holding on hope for the coroners' inquest?"
Taralee Sanchez, Wife
"Yup, I am still holding on to hope. I have hope for them to see whatever corrupt things the police department is doing and for them to make their own decision base on what they know."
Tara Sanchez's baby girl is due next month…
No date has been set for the coroner's inquest but those are notoriously slow to be convened….
Email
Print