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Their deputy commander, Inspector Reymundo Reyes, has been compiling the case against them, and today he spoke with us about how these charges came about:

Inspector Reymundo Reyes - Deputy OC
"The officers were placed on identification parade. Two of them were identified, then we had to gone through the process of doing a group ID parade. As a result of the results of the identification parade the information was sent to the office of the director of public persecution where we were given the go ahead to proceed and charge all 4 officers for the crime of harm and PC Marroquin was additionally charge for attempt murder, use of deadly means of harm and wounding."

Daniel Ortiz
"We also know that two of them have been disciplinary charge right?"

Inspector Reymundo Reyes
"We have corporal Valencia and PC Marroquin who were served with disciplinary charges as well yesterday. This morning they are being arraigned by an adjudicator for the charges for the internal investigation."

"The case, it is a serious allegation that was made against the officers and our input into it was to find out the truth and this is the end results that they were criminally and officers were disciplinary charge also."

Daniel Ortiz
"Have you able to get in contact with the family since this development?"

Inspector Reymundo Reyes
"The communication with them is ongoing. They themselves had to be present during the identification parade. We explained to them the process as to why we were taking our time and why is it that officers who were involved in the incident were not charge as yet. We had to explain to them and thank God that they understood and they cooperated with us."

So, that's the outcome following the incident early Monday, May 26, in which Elston Arnold was shot in the back with a shotgun and left on the side of the road to fend for himself. Today, we went to Unitedville to speak with Arnold himself.

He told us that firstly he's satisfied that the men he's accusing are being investigated with results:

Elston Arnold
"My reaction is that I don't really feel any way, but I feel kind of mad but I still feel good that I got justice because it could have been left like that."

Daniel Ortiz
"The one thing that those of us on the outside can't understand is why one career police officer would just shoot you in the back like that. Can you describe for us what happened that night?"

Elston Arnold
"Like I said we were coming from a wake and they came and search us and then after that my cousin told the corporal if he doesn't know us because we are from the same village and how he would do us this. After that the corporal run after him and the rest of police officers jumped in the mobile and reached at my cousin. My cousin wasn't continue walking, he was waiting for them and as they reached there the corporal and another officer jumped out and started to harass my cousin, so me and my two other cousins we rode up behind the mobile to see what was happening, so as to see if they were taking advantage of my cousin. When we reach there one of the officer took out his pistol and crank it and told us to go home. As I was riding off when this officer just kicked open his door and come out with his shotgun and open fire and I felt some burns at my side, so I continue ride off and I told my cousin that I got shot and they rode ahead of me to the JP for assistance and after that she came out and took me to the hospital."

Daniel Ortiz
"Do you trust police the same as you did before?"

Elston Arnold
"I will be straight up, I don't trust any of them, only some of them who would cooperate with me and the ones who got justice for me. Those are the ones I will trust, but the regular officers they have to really get down and try cooperate with the people of Belize and just try to their best to help out each other and stop go and chance innocent people for no reason."

As per protocol, all 4 officers will be placed on interdiction with half pay, and taken off active duty until the case against them has concluded. They couldn't be arraigned today because there were no magistrates available in San Ignacio or Belmopan, so all 3 officers except Marroquin, have been granted bail by a Justice of the Peace. Marroquin will spend the weekend in police custody, and after his arraignment, he will not be eligible for bail. As you heard in our interview with Inspector Reyes, Marroquin and Valencia has already had their first hearing before the police tribunal dealing with their disciplinary charges.

It is of significant note that Marroquin was charged for murder in 2006 - when he shot and killed a mental patient in the line of duty. The DPP at the time found that the use of deadly force was excessive and unjustified so he compelled police to charge him for murder. But the same DPP later withdrew the charge for lack of evidence so he was never tried for murder.