Tonight, a 13 year-old young man from Esperanza Village, continues to suffer from an injury to his left arm which his family and he claims was inflicted by a police officer from the Cayo District.
The young man was at home with his family when police conducted a search on their house. We spoke to them this afternoon, and they told us that the police officer, who they can identify, used excessive force against the young man, caused him to suffer a compound fracture.
Moreover, they claimed that he was no threat, and that he was around his family's table doing his homework when the police barged in:
Sharema Mendoza - Sister
"I don't know what the problem is that they have against us as the Mendozza family but the police men came and my brother was doing an assignment in the house around the center table. My dad was inside eating and I was inside with some other girls watching some clothes. He went at the backdoor and when he went an officer approached him and said to my little brother 'stand right there - don't move' so my brother stood there and didn't move. There after about 6 to 7 seconds, as quick as that, I heard my brother crying - he then yelled at me and said 'Sharema I am going to die' so I told my dad who was sitting and eating to go and check on him."
Daniel Ortiz
"The police officer had your brother in an arm lock?"
Sharema Mendoza
"Yes he had my brother in an arm lock and then after he then loosed my brother and went at the back and they took my dad at the back and told him that they saw someone run to the back and that it was my little brother. As what I just told you he was inside the house doing an assignment - he then took the assignment from my brother and threw it in the mud. He held the gun and said 'if you don't tell me where the drugs are, I will shoot you'. The officers were at the back with my dad and they told him that they didn't know which one of us ran to the back but that they were going to arrest my brother. They asked my dad 'What did you throw up at the house top?' He replied that he didn't do anything and that he was coming from out of his house as they saw him coming out and he was not outside. He then told my dad that he saw someone ran to the back and threw something up in the house, the house top. So my dad told him to go ahead and do his job. He alone climbed and went up to the house, when he got there I saw him bend down and he looked like he was fumbling with something down there and I don't know if it was in his tennis or in his socks but I saw him taking out something and then he got up and he recovered the 15 little marbles. At one spot he stood up and picked up those 15 marbles looking things."
Daniel Ortiz
"So what was in it? Marijuana?"
Sharema Mendoza
"Yes it was Marijuana. My brother was in pain and they locked my brother up just like that and they didn't take him to the hospital. I asked and I requested that they take him to the hospital because we didn't know what the problem was with my brother and his hand?"
Daniel Ortiz
"Now that we see him in a cast what did the doctors find?"
Sharema Mendoza
"The doctors said he had a fractured elbow because the police was bending up his hand, maybe he wanted to break his hand."
Sandra Gibson - Mother
"The doctor requested that he has to go to KHMH and go to bone specialist and take a CAT scan. I say that they took advantage of us - he is a minor, I am sick I can't too much - I suffer from my heart and from pressure."
As you saw in the interview, we caught up with them after they made a formal complaint against the officer at the Ombudsman's office.
Due to time constraints, we were not able to get a response from Cayo Police, but we have contacted the Police Press Office requesting a comment.
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