As we reported last night, Dangriga police shot a 17 year old male over the weekend. It happened on Sunday night when the cops say they were responding to a "burglary in progress."
Police say that at about 8:50pm they were called to an area on Ecumenical Drive where they saw four males in a yard near a vegetable shop. The police say they ran behind a building, and the police pursued. They claim that's when one of the males, 17 year old Ashton Augustine went from running to threatening. One of the constables say that "one of the young men advanced towards him with an object in his hand, and didn't stop when ordered to do so, so the cop fired a shot from his rifle hitting Augustine in the leg."
Now, that's a very familiar narrative - but it doesn't hold up to much scrutiny because the young man was shot in the back of his leg, and, he is currently at the Southern Regional Hospital, without any police guard - which means he is not a suspect in either a burglary, or threatening a police officer. Moreover, no weapon was found.
Today his angry mother underscored those points when we spoke to her via telephone at the southern regional hospital:
Jules Vasquez
"Police have put out a report, saying that he was a part of a burglary."
Bernadeth Buckley, Police shot her son
"Burglary? That is a lie, Jules, because if he was a part of the burglary, common sense can tell you whatever happened when he got shot - the police will guard him until the end of the time of his illness. the Police didn't guard him. So that is a lie, common sense that."
Jules Vasquez
"The Police officers are also saying that he was amongst a group of young men and one of the young men advanced towards the police officer with an object in his hand. The officer told the individuals to stop, but he continued advancing, resulting in the officer firing one shot hitting the young man in his upper right leg."
"As far as you know was your son advancing on and threatening the police officer?"
Bernadeth Buckley, Police shot her son
"That is lie, because I did ask the Inspector here. so I did ask him, did Ashton ever have any weapon on him? He said no, he never did get any information that Ashton have any weapon. And so that is a lie. And I even said, how comes if Ashton hold up a weapon to fire against the police, how will he get shot at the back when he was facing front of him, front of the police.
"He even told Chester it, he told Chester he was walking way, and Chester asked him "you sure you didn't run Ashton?' Ashton said, No I didn't run.'"
"You see the police want to get himself out because he knows he is wrong, and, like what my son says, "he was frightened, he's very frightened because he knows.' And my son asked him over and over, "What did I do to make you shoot me, what did I do to make you kick me up?'"
Police say Ashton Augustine's injuries are classified as grievous harm and the Professional Standard Branch is investigating.
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