Vanessa Champagne Paris - she's become a national figure, the first transgender person to be thrust into the public spotlight. But, the news tonight is that she continues to be the victim of crime. This one went un-reported but on June 10th she was robbed in Belmopan. It happened right on the walkway through the center of the capital where Vanessa was walking late at night. Luckily police have been deployed to the crime hotspot and responded immediately:
Supt. Howell Gillett, Officer Commanding, Belmopan Police
"On the 10th of June at around 10:20pm Vanessa Champagne Paris reported that he was walking on the sidewalk near ambergris Avenue when he was accosted by four male persons who took away his Iphone valued at five hundred dollars. Police responded immediately and a suspect was found to be in a tree along the sidewalk. He was ordered to come down and during the process he placed his hand in a black bag that he had with him on the tree. Police fired one shot which caught him on the right hand. Nobody was ever charged for it because the complainant did not request any further Police action into the matter."
Jules Vasquez
"Are you concerned that with the suspect already perched himself on a tree…that lethal force was still used?"
Supt. Howell Gillett
"We're not overly concerned about it. The Police suspected that the person was going to draw something from the bag and in response fired a single shot which caught the suspect in the hand."
Though Vanessa was born male, she is transgender and identifies as a female. She asked to be referred to as a female when she made the police report.
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