7 News Belize

Career Cop Says His Son Was Executed By A Chinese Grocer; Pol. Say Self Defence
posted (October 21, 2014)
Leslie Logan Jr was killed on September 19th in Orange Walk Town. It happened right in front of the hospital, after he had participated in the armed robbery of a Chinese store and was riding off. The owner of the store - whose name has never been released by police - shot Logan Jr multiple times - killing him in the street. The report that we got from eyewitnesses on the day of the killing said that the owner, or his son, shot Logan off his bike, and then shot him again after he fell unto the street. After that he kicked and cursed him as he lay dying. That was the report we got from an eyewitness.

And while that account does raise some questions about where the use of lethal force was justifiable or proportional, police never did charge the shooter - they say they served him with a notice of intended prosecution, which, as far as we know, is only issued in traffic accidents.

Since then, nothing has happened - and it seems police have pretty much closed the case - leaving it, apparently, as self-defense, a justifiable homicide.

But Leslie Logan Sr. a veteran of the police department for 37 years isn't content to leave it at that. Logan Sr. who now lives in New York due to a kidney condition came back to bury his son - but found out that instead of burying him - he should have been visiting the 30 year old in jail.

Today, Leslie Sr. and his wife Karen held a press conference with their attorney Audrey Matura Shepherd to point to what they feel is injustice, incompetence and a cover up. They base this on statements which Logan Sr. has been able to gather because police don't seem interested. Matura Shepherd read the account of one eyewitness who knew Logan Jr as "Logie":..

Audrey Matura Shepherd, Attorney for Logan family
"When Logie fell, he drop on his side and lifted his arms up and I could hear him say to the Chinese man who was standing over him "Please don't shoot me, call the police, call the police, don't shoot me." However at this time the Chinese man step over Logie's body and fired 3 more shots and the police in uniform arrived about the same time walking towards the scene and shouted at the Chinese man "Shoot him, after all they done robbed you" and he flung his hands in the air as giving permission for the shooting to continue."

Leslie Logan Sr., Retired Career Police Officer
"A witness told me who were actually at the scene looking at the Chinese man shooting my son standing astride over my son, so there was no fear of the Chinese man, he was standing over my son pumping lead in his body. Cannot they find these witnesses - they are not investigating that shooting. All the police wanted to do was to finish the robbery and close the case and say the killing is a self-defense. It was no self defence. As a matter of fact they showed us a tape that the robbery was complete, my son left the store after handed the accomplice the money in a bag and the accomplice left running out the store, my son followed and was getting on the bicycle when the Chinese man ran out of the store, pick up a gun from the same place that he took the money from, run behind my son out of the store and shoot him off his bicycle. How can that be self-defense? The Chinese man life was never at risk and when my son was down there on the ground, laying down, covering up, begging for his life because there are witnesses who says that my son ask the Chinese man to please don't shoot me, call the police and let them come for me and he kicked my son and he told him that this is for you black (using the adjective) who us robbing people all over the place and then he started to shoot him there and my son covered up. And that's why I know the last shot there because the witness says that when it hit him, the arm went down and that is that shot that went through and that was the last shot and then the gun jammed and he start to fire and he start to kick him. And that is all out there. As a matter of fact there was a bus load of people who were passing by, who slowed down, shout at the Chinese man because the boy is already on the ground and you know what the Chinese man did? Point the gun at the bus and the bus driver had to drive off. He couldn't even stop at the bus stop there by the Chinese shop. He had to drive up more to let off the passengers because they were all afraid. All these people are out there. If I can find them, I am no longer a police officer and I find all these witnesses."

Jules Vasquez
"Are you concern that there is a sort of unofficial rule that....?"

Leslie Logan Sr., Retired Career Police Officer
"..Another robber gone."

Jules Vasquez "You were in the police."

Leslie Logan Sr., Retired Career Police Officer
"I think that that is the wrong idea and the wrong interpretation. All case supposed to be judge by its own merits and if they can show me one instance where that Chinese man life was put in jeopardy, was in danger, I would agree to it. But you cannot chase down somebody and shoot them in the back. Not even the police can. My son did the robbery, he should be in jail serving his time. But he should not be in the cemetery at this time and yet we have Belizeans who actually shoot two men on his farm stealing his products and he is jail right now in Carmelita Village. How can you use one yard stick to measure one thing and you use another yard stick to measure something else?"

"I tried try believe that there is justice in Belize. I try to believe that the police would do the right thing, but they are not. I have no more faith in the police department. They will never ever do the right thing and that is why I can see now why people are complaining so much about the police because of the cover up and the corruption in the department is unbearable. People can't get justice anymore. I just cannot believe the police anymore. They are just a bunch of crooks - liad."

The family says they intend to take out a civil suit against police - and Matura Shepherd says the policeman who allegedly encouraged the killing can be charged for abetment to murder.

They say that the man who pulled the trigger has left the country - and the store, Hung Yun is under new management.

Logan has not been able to get the death certificate officially registered because it does not have the stamp of the Forensic Examiner since Dr Mario Estradabran did not perform the post mortem.

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