Several shots rang out breaking the dead of night. According to neighbors in the area, as many as 8 shots were heard coming from the police barracks, situated behind the San Pedro Police Department building.

Reports are still sketchy, since the incident occurred around 3am Thursday, March 18th. What is known is that one officer was transported to the San Pedro Poly Clinic in serious condition. It is alleged that Sergeant Paulino Reyes shot one of the department's Corporals - Corporal Gavin Sanchez. As of 6am, Corporal Sanchez had been confirmed dead by officials close to the investigation.

Read more: The San Pedro Sun

Police officials will be having a press conference at the San Pedro Police Department today at 2:00 p.m.

Is this Sanchez a tall, black man about mid thirties?

We also have a Sergeant Sanchez at the San Pedro station - the prosecutor.

Hope Sergeant Reyes is innocent for self defense and this incident does not affect his carrier.

Otherwise it makes no sense, then why was Sergeant Sanchez wearing a Bulletproof West and Operating a Gun while he is off Duty while breaking in Sergeant Reyes Room.

Nine shots?! In self defence? If it's found that he fired all of them I should think it WILL have a considerable effect on Sgt Reyes career.

Peter - Where did you get 9? I heard 8 all together - some from each man and Sanchez shot first and woke up Reyes. I was married to a Marine and no one could touch him when he was asleep - he would come out fighting. AND all police are trained to shoot to kill. It is amazing that Sanchez died having on a Kevlar vest.

I'm sure we will hear all kinds of distortions to the facts before this is over.

Not amazing really, because he was wearing a vest he was shot in the head. No doubt the reason he was shot in the head is because he was wearing the vest. I believe the other shots were to the legs - so I would guess that after being shot in the legs, he didn't let go of his weapon so more excessive action was required which ended up in the head shots.

This is a very terrible situation for everybody involved, the fallen officer, his wife and children, the soldiers and the police officer that fired the shots, their families, the San Pedro police department and everybody that lives here.

Dr. that did the autopsy reported 9 entry wounds and 7 exit wounds.

Yes, I read "nine shots" in the SP Sun article cited above. But I missed some of the other details that are being quoted here. It certainly is a terrible situation for everyone, and I only hope that for once there will in due course be a full public report of what happened.

Some of my favorite Tv shows are Forensics and cop shows and its a well known Phenomenon that when a cop shoots (or any shooting for that matter) it is rareley one shot, normally the shooter emptys there weapon due to adrenaline and nerves.

So it was not a surprise to see 9 shots in this close range shooting.

Sad for sure

Gaz

"When in doubt, empty the magazine"

I understand that Officer Sabal of internal affairs is here on the island investigating.

Any updates?

Police Shoot Police 9 Times: “It Was Self Defence”

It stirred public outrage when Corporal Gavin Sanchez was killed in March of 2010 inside the San Pedro police station compound; he was shot 9 times by Sergeant Paulino Reyes.

The two had been in a fight in the barracks behind the station, both were armed and Reyes shot Sanchez with his 9 millimeter pistol 9 times, including a fatal shot to the head.

Sanchez's family and his colleagues in the police association called out for a murder charge - but since March the investigators' file has been under review at the DPP's office.

Yesterday - after long and copious review - the Director of Public Prosecutions Cheryl Lyn Vidal sent a ten page memorandum to the police and the court detailing her finding. We have not seen the memo, but have confirmed that it states that the sergeant Reyes acted in self defence and there is no evidence to establish that it was a case of murder.

If you're doing a second take on that, so were we! But as we understand it, the memo explains that according to the Police Forensic Pathologist Dr. Mario Estradabran the first seven shots were superficial and did not cause Sanchez to fall to the ground or surrender his threatening position with his 45 pistol. Additionally, the finding was that there was no direct eyewitness to the shooting as the BDF soldier who was present ran off when the two armed policemen started to fight. According to our reports the director of Public Prosecutions personally relayed the bad news to Corporal Sanchez's widow Taralee Sanchez yesterday. Taralee today declined an interview until she could speak in the presence of her Attorney Anthony Sylvester, so we hope to have that tomorrow.

But that's not the end of it, The DPP's memo has called for the convening of a coroner's inquest to determine if there is any evidence to prove the charge of murder or manslaughter. Historically, such inquests take some time to be convened.

Channel 7

The verdict is official: Reyes acted in “Self Defense”

Sometime after 3:00 a.m. on March 18th, gun shots were heard in the San Juan Area of San Pedro Town. Neighbors claimed to have heard up to eight shots and as dawn broke, news that police corporal Gavin Sanchez, detached to the San Pedro Police Department, had lost his life after being fatally wounded by one of his own. Sergeant Paulino Reyes was the officer involved in the shooting, and he went on to officially claim "Self Defense", as a motive in the incident. The initial story was published in Volume 20, Issue #12 dated March 25th 2010, of The San Pedro Sun.

The DPP's office has concluded its investigation. For months now, The San Pedro Sun has been pursuing the story, and on Wednesday, October 20th, 2010, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mrs. Cheryl Lynn Vidal, granted us a telephone interview. She stated, "The prosecution does not think that at this time, there's usable evidence to refute Self Defense in the Corporal Sanchez Sergeant Reyes case; and it is the prosecutor's duty where it rises on the facts, to negate it. The evidence that is available to us shows that Sanchez made several threats to kill Reyes. He made these threats to Reyes himself and he also spoke of his intentions to other officers - not the least of which was his commanding officer, who he called and told he was going to kill Reyes and also sent a text message, stating that he was going to kill Reyes. Evidence presented to the DPP's office stated that when Reyes returned to the station, Corporal Sanchez was seen by another officer in the door at the back of the station and he told the officer to go and tell Reyes that he was back there waiting for him. According to statements on file, Sergeant Reyes then asked two BDF officers to accompany him to his room at the barracks so that he could change and leave the compound; as he didn't want any further problems.

The two BDF officers did in fact accompany Sergeant Reyes. One of the officers positioned himself outside Reyes' door while he was in his room. While the officer was outside the door, he saw Corporal Sanchez open the adjacent room with a metal object in his hand as he walked to Reyes' door. When Reyes came out of his room, Sanchez hit him on his head with the metal object. Reyes then retreated to his room. The piece of metal used was stuck between the frame of the door and Sanchez tried to remove it from where it was. The BDF officer held on to him and reported, (quoting BDF officer) ‘the sergeant then was opening his door, and upon seeing this, the corporal who I was holding, then moved his right hand, placing it on his right side of his waist as though he was taking out something. I must mention that because of the position I was holding him in; I couldn't see what he was taking out of his waist. That was when the Sergeant took out his gun and pointed it in the direction of the leg part of Sanchez and the Sergeant fired a shot'. When that happened, the officer pushed Sanchez and then he went for cover, he went to protect himself then."

The DPP continued to explain, "The problem that the prosecution has is that after the BDF officer went to take cover, there's no eye witness evidence as to what took place thereafter. And the biggest factual challenge is that what the BDF officer said is that the last thing he saw was that Sanchez had a firearm in his hand and was pointing it at Reyes when he went for cover." The DPP went on to explain that "we don't have any eye witness evidence as to what happened after that, there was no one else around. And that is the biggest factual challenge, because if it is that the Corporal remained with a firearm in his hand, pointing it at the sergeant and the sergeant began firing shots we cannot say that the shooting was un-justified, because you have a right to self preservation if someone is standing in-front of you pointing a firearm at you. By law, you can shoot that person before that person shoots you. We have no evidence to show when that firearm fell. When persons responded to the scene and saw the corporal on the floor, the firearm was next to him. That suggests that he either fell with it, or it fell shortly before he fell. It's not to say it was found at one location and his body was found several feet beyond that point. If we don't have any evidence to show that the firearm fell and at what point and therefore there was no longer any threat, how can we say then, that the sergeant wasn't justified in firing the shots? Further to that, Dr. Estradaban's report explained that even-though there were nine shots that connected with Cprl. Sanchez, the first seven of those shots would not have immobilized Cprl Sanchez because they were not shots sustained to any major organs, or shots that caused any fractures."

According to the DPP, Dr. Estradaban's report continued to explain that, "therefore, Corporal Sanchez would have remained standing even though he had those seven shots. It was the 8th shot which was to the head that would have caused him to start falling. The 9th shot was the shot that went through the forehead and would have caused him to completely fall."

Dr. Estradaban's report further stated that "If Sanchez had been on the floor when the 9th shot was fired, there would have been a different pattern of injuries in his head." Therefore in Dr. Estradaban's expert opinion, he stated, "Sanchez was falling but nonetheless still in an upright position at the time that he got that last shot."

The DPP concluded that, "If we put all that evidence together, the prosecution does not have anything to disprove self-defense. For these reasons, I was not able to direct that Sergeant Reyes be arrested and charged with any offence."

The DPP's findings have been sent to the Coronor's office, which it is expected, will carry out an inquest. However, the DPP mentioned that based on the evidence presented by the police and the file, there are no foreseeable changes in the conclusion, even after an inquest is conducted, that would warrant an arrest and charges laid.

Sergeant Reyes was placed on administrative leave while the investigation was being carried out. When asked about what happens to him now, the DPP stated, "that is really a decision for the commissioner of police to make, he is aware of my decision. It is now up to the commissioner to decide whether Sergeant Reyes will be brought off his administrative leave immediately or whether they will await the inquest".

The DPP went on to explain that in this case the easiest thing to have done was to direct that an arrest be made, however at the time of trial, there would have been serious embarrassment to the [DPP's] office as they would not have been able to get a case to the jury. The process was long as all aspects of the file and evidence presented had to be examined thoroughly, leading to what may seem as the delay in a decision.

The DPP expresses her understanding of the need to have someone to blame, when someone has lost a loved one, and sympathizes with the family of Corporal Sanchez. However, she explained that based on the law, her office cannot prosecute on emotions, but rather on facts and evidence presented. The DPP has concluded that Sergeant Reyes acted in Self Defense, based on evidence and facts presented to the Office.

San Pedro Sun

Cpl. Gavin Sanchez’s Wife Speaks Out

Last night we told you that the Director of Public Prosecutions had taken the decision not to bring charges against Sergeant Paulino Reyes who shot and killed Corporal Gavin Sanchez in the San Pedro.

The was the bottom line in a ten page memo that the DPP sent to the police on Tuesday. After a quite thorough review of evidence she concludes that the Sergeant acted in self defense. On the night in question when the two officers had a misunderstanding at a local club, she says Sanchez said openly and repeatedly that he would kill Reyes - and additionally sent his officer commanding a text message confirming that he would do so. v 7news has now obtained a copy of that memo and the DPP explains that after this and other statements of provocation, Sanchez went to Reyes's room armed with a .45 pistol and wearing a bullet proof vest and struck him across the head with a length of steel. When Reyes came back out he was armed with his 9 millimeter pistol - and before Sanchez could fire the forty five even once, he let off 9 shots.

The most controversial finding is that the police forensic pathologist Dr. Mario Estradabran found that the first 7 shots did not immobilize Sanchez - and that Reyes continued shooting until he fell, which only happened after the eighth and ninth shots. Estradabran found that there is no evidence those final two shots to the head were fired after Sanchez was already on the ground.

Estradabran states that only those made him fall to the ground - while the other seven shots just had Sanchez staggering backwards.

There is no eyewitness to the crime as the BDF soldier who was in the area ran ff when he saw the two armed officers start to go at each other.

And so, the DPP concludes that there is no evidence to support a charge of murder and quote, "directing the arrest and charge of sergeant Reyes t this time would be an exercise in futility as no trial could properly proceed."

That news was given to corporal Sanchez's wife Tara on Tuesday afternoon. She told us she just doesn't find it believable and thinks it was a cover up:…

Taralee Sanchez, Wife
"Well I personally think it is a cover up yes."

Jules Vasquez
"Do you think that the department which he serve for 10 years is covering up for the higher ranking officers sergeant Reyes?"

Taralee Sanchez, Wife
"Maybe not the whole department but certain officers in the department I think so yes. When they bring the body in the pick up truck at the morgue, his ankle was shattered; his knee. I am not any expert but then if you shot somebody and their bone got broken I don't think that could have never be a flesh wound. If I only sprain my foot I know I can't stand up on it. So if somebody foot broke; if their bones are broken I mean you have to go down. So with the first 7 shots be flesh wound I don't know what to say about that. According to what she say that 7 shots being flesh wound, 7 shots is just too much. After he serve almost 10 years of his life to this department and for him to go just like that, I don't know how to explain that."

Now this expecting mother is coping with the loss and being strong for her two kids - knowing that the third won't know her father and her father died not knowing of her:

Taralee Sanchez, Wife
"The way I found out was that I was suppose to get donations from Social Security, we had to do a pregnancy test in case there was another one on the way and I was like no I am not expecting no other children so when I did took the test and it was positive I was like he gone and didn't even know he had another child on the way. I just pray to God every day, I wake up and go to sleep crying, I don't know, I have my other 2 children too; one is 6 and the other is 5 and sometimes they ask me 'mommy i miss my daddy' and I don't know what to tell them because it's very hard to lose him, he was somebody who was always around and to think about it that he will never ever come back again, I don't know how to explain. When they ask me about their dad I just tell them that he is up in heaven with God and now there is an angel watching over us. But then it create an anger in them because whenever they talk about their dad they want to know why this man had to kill my daddy. My son is only 4 years old and the kind of hatred that it created in him it's like 'I will just kill Reyes when I see him' imagine the mentally that my son will grow up with. That is very hard for me to deal with sometimes."

Jules Vasquez
"You know like a lot of time bad things happen in your life and you just say if you can just take back one or two little things, just backspace, just go back a little bit and things would have taken a different turn, you must probably go through that a lot."

Taralee Sanchez, Wife
"Every day I wake up and like......."

But she still has hope that her husband's death will be vindicated.

Jules Vasquez
"Are you still holding on hope for the coroners' inquest?"

Taralee Sanchez, Wife
"Yup, I am still holding on to hope. I have hope for them to see whatever corrupt things the police department is doing and for them to make their own decision base on what they know."

Tara Sanchez's baby girl is due next month… No date has been set for the coroner's inquest but those are notoriously slow to be convened….

Channel 7

Taralee Sanchez wants justice for slain husband/cop

Corporal Gavin Sanchez was killed back in March, nine bullets found their mark on him. It initially appeared like an open and shut case but not so. The office of the Director Public Prosecutions has determined that there is not sufficient evidence to press murder charges; we’ll have more on that later. But TaraLee, the widow of Corporal Sanchez, is stunned that no charges will be brought against the man who ended her husband’s life. The Corporal was gunned down during an altercation with Sergeant Paulino Reyes. Both Reyes and Sanchez were attached to the San Pedro Police Formation at the time of the incident on March eighteenth of this year. Sanchez was socializing at Wet Willies night club when he allegedly became unruly and Reyes, who was working extra duties, disciplined him. Sanchez was then escorted back to the station.

Officers at the station have reported that Sanchez issued threats and he also sent a threatening text message stating his intentions to harm the Sergeant. When Reyes arrived, accompanied by Belize Defense Force soldiers, an altercation occurred at the barracks at about three a.m. A barrage of gunshots rang out after Sanchez apparently hit Reyes over the head. Sanchez lay dead on the ground wearing a bullet proof vest. This afternoon News Five spoke to TaraLee Sanchez, who said that he didn’t need to die and she still hopes for justice for her dead husband.

Taralee Sanchez, Widow of Gavin Sanchez

“When I went to the DPP’s Office first of all I didn’t know what to expect when I went into the office. But coming out of the office it was nothing that I expected to hear. Because the understanding I got from the end of the explanation was that they don’t have enough evidence to charge Reyes for murder. She claims Reyes is claiming self defense.”

Jose Sanchez

“Why do you believe that it wasn’t self defense?”

Taralee Sanchez

“First of all in self defense, if you shot a man. My concern is the amount of shots; nine shots. According to the DPP, the first seven shots were flesh wounds. I can recall when they bring him in the truck dah the morgue; I saw the condition of his foot. His knee was broken, he get shot eena ih knee, ih get shot eena ih ankle, ih get shot dah ih pelvic area, different parts of the upper body and different parts eena ih head. With seven shots being fired and that’s flesh wounds. I still can’t put it in my mind that seven flesh wound shots Andre couldn’t be a threat to Reyes.”

Jose Sanchez

“You felt that he should have been charged with anything, just no charges?”

Taralee Sanchez

“Manslaughter the least. I mean to what I think, dah murder, but I dah noh the judge. But to get charged with nothing, I don’t know what to say about that one. I want to ask her if I can get the case file, so I could know what I could do after this, what next step I can take. Fi just make Reyes shoot Andre, kill ah, and no justice come out of that. That wrong. You have to have some kind of closure to it. You can’t just left it right so.”

Late this afternoon, News Five obtained a copy of the official memo on the shooting death of Gavin Sanchez. The report, dated eighteenth October, from the office of the DPP, concludes that “the prosecution clearly does not have the evidence to discharge its onus of disproving self evidence. In the event, directing the arrest and charge of Sgt. 714 Reyes at this stage would be an exercise in futility as no trial could properly proceed.” And what caused the DPP, Cheryl-Lynn Vidal to come up with that summation? Well it rested on answering two questions relating to self defense. The first being if Sergeant Reyes honestly believed that it was necessary to defend himself. And after examining the evidence the memo states that the corporal threatened Reyes that he was going to kill him, later approached Reyes with a piece of metal and hit him over the head and stood in front of him, armed with a handgun pointing it at him. It says “It appears unarguable from these circumstances that sergeant 714 Reyes would have honestly believed that he had to defend himself and the prosecution would be hard pressed to prove otherwise.” The second issue was if the amount of force which Reyes used was reasonable. According to the statement of Dr. Estradabran, none of the first seven shots would have immobilized Sanchez, as they did not affect vital organs or cause any fractures. The shot to the back of the Corporal, according to the observations of the doctor, is consistent with the Corporal having swayed from side to side. And for all intents and purposes, it may very well be that up until the eighth shot, Corporal Sanchez remained in an upright position, facing Sergeant Reyes. The eighth shot caused him to start falling and the ninth completed the fall. The memo concludes that “in the circumstances it is impossible for the prosecution to suggest that the force used was unreasonable to repel the attack.” We hope to have the DPP’s official version of her report on Friday’s newscast.

Channel 5

9 bullets for Cpl. Sanchez, but Sgt. Reyes “walks”

It was a sensational story when Corporal #910 Gavin Sanchez allegedly was shot and killed by his superior officer, Sergeant #714 Paulino Reyes, in the police barracks of the San Pedro Police Station on March 18, 2010.

Reyes was under heavy scrutiny, but claimed self-defense; he shot Sanchez 9 times, which seriously raised the issue of necessary force. Necessary or not, Amandala has learned that there will be no legal action taken against Reyes.

Today, Cheryl-Lynn Vidal, Director of Public Prosecutions, told us that the reason no legal action is being taken against Reyes is not that the firing of 9 bullets can still be claimed as self-defense in a case that can stand up in court, but because the evidence provided to her by the police is not strong enough to successfully prosecute the case.

She said that the two key reasons are that Sanchez had made many comments about his intention to kill Reyes before his actual shooting death, and the fact that there are no eyewitnesses to the complete shooting incident itself.

As we understand it, based on the statements in the case, Sanchez did have an altercation with a colleague at the Wet Willies Night Club, which resulted in Reyes (who was on “special duty” at the club) intervening.

Sanchez then reportedly threatened to kill Reyes – hence the first reason (stated by Vidal) that it was difficult to prosecute the case.

We also understand that Sanchez was escorted back to the police station, where he continued to openly threaten Reyes, who was not present. He also made a phone call to his commanding officer and sent a text message, both of which stated his intention to kill Reyes.

Vidal explained to us that Sanchez gathered his things, and armed himself and began waiting. Reyes then arrived later and ordered a check of the compound, which led to Sanchez being discovered in hiding. (Reyes had asked to be escorted by two BDF officers to his room in the barracks, which resulted in Sanchez being discovered in an unoccupied room across from Reyes’ room.)

According to Reyes, Sanchez was armed with a piece of metal and a bullet-proof vest. He hit Reyes over the head and Reyes began to bleed extensively and retreated to his room. (There was no indication where the other soldier went at this point. All this occurred in the corridor outside Reyes’ room.)

This caused one of the BDF officers to respond by grabbing Sanchez and trying to subdue him from a backward position.

At this time, the piece of metal was wedged between the door and doorframe, and the soldier purportedly saw Reyes’ door open and Sanchez begin reaching for something by his waist (due to his position the soldier said that he did not see what Sanchez was reaching for).

The soldier said he saw Reyes pull out his gun and fire a shot at Sanchez’s leg.

According to Vidal, the soldier said that he pushed Sanchez away and began running. Sanchez was still standing and what he (the soldier) saw while running away was that Sanchez had a firearm and was pointing it at the sergeant.

Based on these statements, Vidal said that there is strong indication that Reyes thought his life was being threatened and responded accordingly. The soldier did not see the rest of what transpired; no one was able to get to the scene until after the shots were fired.

What about the use of force; was it necessary for Reyes to shoot Sanchez 9 times?

Vidal said that the absence of any eyewitnesses to the entire shooting presents the main difficulty; all that can be used at this time for this part of the case is Reyes’ statement, the crime scene, and the findings of Dr. Estradabran after examining Sanchez’s body. She said that the available evidence is not in favor of the prosecution.

According to the evidence, the firearm that had been in Sanchez’ possession, was found in close proximity to his body, indicating that either he fell with it or, it fell shortly before he did, according to Vidal. This indicated that the firearm was in his hand until he was immobilized by the 8th and 9th shot, up until which he was still standing and still able to physically threaten Reyes.

Vidal said that Dr. Estradabran concluded that the first 7 shots were only flesh wounds and would not immobilize Sanchez to the extent that he could no longer be a threat. The bullets all, according to Dr. Estradabran’s report, seemed to miss his vital organs and didn’t cause him any bone fractures. They were all front to back injuries, and there were no defensive injuries present.

Vidal said that given the evidence, the prosecution is unable to reasonably suggest that excessive force was used. As we understand it, there were a few inconsistencies in the evidence, but they weren’t enough to merit a full and proper trial. As it is, she recommended that a coroner’s inquest be undertaken to continue the investigation.

Amandala was also able to speak to Sanchez’s widow, Taralee Sanchez, about the case being at a standstill. She said that the loss of her husband has taken a big toll on her family and her two children (she is also expecting a third soon). She told us that she was disappointed, hurt and angry, when Vidal spoke to her and told her that the case for the prosecution was not strong enough to obtain a conviction.

She said that the aspect of the case that still bothers her is the amount of shots her husband received. Particularly, she said that Vidal told her that the first shot was in the foot. She said that she could remember clearly observing, when the body was first shown to her, that his ankle was broken, and his knee was also broken.

She said that she feels that if someone is shot in both the ankle and the knee, they would fall, which is an inconsistency with the findings that has been ignored.

What bothers her most, said Taralee, is that the results of the coroner’s inquest will not be ready anytime soon, and that Reyes is walking around freely while she and her family mourn the loss without any conclusion.

She said that she has retained the services of attorney Anthony Sylvester, and plans to take the investigation as far as she is able to.

Amandala was not able to contact Sylvester for comment.

No Charges Removed Against Sergeant Reyes who Shot and Killed Cpl. Gavin Sanchez

In the controversial case against Sergeant Paulino Reyes, it is now known that no one will be charged for the shooting death of Police Corporal Gavin Sanchez, who went down in a hail of gunfire earlier this year.

Shooting death of Corporal Gavin Sanchez still unresolved

Corporal Gavin Sanchez was shot several times and died at the San Pedro Police Barracks on March eighteenth, 2010. More than a year later, it is still not known whether the officer that pulled the trigger, Sergeant Paulino Reyes, will be held responsible for Sanchez’ death. The controversy surrounding the killing was compounded last October when the D.P.P. announced that Reyes would not be charged, but the police sergeant is now the subject of a coroner’s inquest before Magistrate Roberto Ordonez. Since March twenty-fourth, as many as twenty-six persons have testified and Pathologist, Doctor Mario Estradabran as well as Investigating Officer, Superintendent Luis Castellanos are yet to take the stand before the inquest is summed up on May eighteenth. A jury of two women and two men will deliberate on a verdict at the end of the hearings. Police officers and BDF soldiers who have testified thus far, indicated that they witnessed Corporal Sanchez’ boisterous behavior which began at a night club before he was shot. Sanchez was detained by Sergeant Reyes, who was one of several officers that he allegedly threatened to kill that night. The chaos ended at the station where Sanchez was shot nine times during an altercation with Reyes. Of note is that Reyes is being provided with police escort to and from court since he filed a report, claiming that he has been threatened by other officers who are upset over Sanchez’ death.

Channel 5

Coroner's Inquest: Cpl Sanchez Killed In Self Defense

Corporal Gavin Sanchez was killed by Sergeant Paulino Reyes in the San Pedro Police Barracks in March of 2010. It stirred controversy in October when the DPP ruled that Reyes acted in self-defense - and now, a jury at a coroner's inquest found the same thing.

The inquest was held in the courtroom of Magistrate Roberto Ordonez. 18 witnesses testified including Dr. Mario Estradabran and Sanchez's wife.

Estradabran said that Sanchez was shot eight times and that the injury which caused his death was a gunshot to the head.

The jury of three women and two men needed only half an hour to conclude that Reyes was acting in self-defence when he shot Sanchez.

Channel 7