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The Caye Caulker police are under heavy criticism from some of the community members after a police officer shot a man on Thursday, March 29th. While police have not released the name of the officer The San Pedro Sun understands that an officer attached to the Tourism Unite, identified as PC Juan Chuc, shot 25 year old Tyson Rodriguez shortly after 7AM. Rodriguez, who neighbors claims is mentally challenged, is originally from the Stann Creek district. He had been living in the back neighborhood of Caye Caulker, where his neighbors took care of him.

Anita Garcia, who takes care of Rodriguez, explained to The Sun how the police descended in to the neighborhood shortly after 7AM this morning. "It was about ten past seven this morning when police came through the whole (neighborhood) then I ran downstairs to see if my son was okay. I saw the police ran upstairs and moments later the man (Rodriguez) jumped down from the veranda and ran. After that I heard like two gun shots moments after. When I went down the street I saw the police going to the clinic. They took the injured man upstairs to the clinic."

According to police, when they searched Rodriguez's apartment, they found two small parcels of suspected marijuana. When Rodriguez was informed about the find, police claimed that he decided to run away. A chase issued some six blocks away until they reached an area in front of Tom's Hotel. According to police a struggle ensued and Rodriguez reportedly pulled out a knife from his pants waist which resulted in the officer pulling out his 9 mm service revolver and shooting him once in the abdomen area.

Click here to read the rest of the article and see more photos in the San Pedro Sun


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Details forthcoming from Caye Caulker are that PC Chuc, a police officer attached to the Tourism Unit shot Tyson Rodriguez sometime around 7AM Thursday, March 29, 2012. Rodriguez, who is believed to be mentally challenged, is originally from the Stann Creek district. He had been living in the back neighborhood of Caye Caulker, where his neighbors took care of him. Police are not releasing any information at this time.

However, neighbors are speaking to The San Pedro Sun, telling how Police initiated an impromptu search in Rodriguez' apartment (for reasons unknown). Rodriguez, unaware of what was happening, decided to flee and officers set pursuit. He ran through various streets in Caye Caulker until he reached the beach side around Tom's Hotel. Witness accounts state that Rodriguez was critically injured when he was shot in the abdomen. Rodriguez was rushed to the Caye Caulker clinic, then transferred to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where he is listed in critical condition.

Click here to read the rest of the article and see more photos in the San Pedro Sun


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Police Shoot A Man In Caye Caulker

Tonight a 25 year old Dangriga resident who resides in Caye Caulker is in stable condtion at the KHMH after being shot by police. Residents say Tyson Rodriguez was shot while fleeing from police who had found him with some weed. Police say he pulled a knife on them - which - we must say - is an all-too familiar story.

Here's what we found out when we went to the Island this afternoon:..

Jules Vasquez reporting
25 year old Tyson Rodriguez was in this house. In this very poor area on the western side of Caye Caulker. Residents call it "Black Neighborhood."

Shanda Rodriguez, Sister of Victim
"They were smoking weed (marijuana) when the police came. The police broke open the door and he saw when the officer pulls out a gun. He got scared and ran away."

Paul Rubio, Area Resident, "Black Neighborhood"
"When the officer went upstairs and search Tyson he jumps downstairs. I don't know if it's because he saw the gun and got scared that he decided to run. He was unarmed, he doesn't have a gun. He was just running."

Anita Garcia, Friend of Victim
"The police came through the hole here. I went home to see if my son was okay when I saw the police officer ran upstairs. The boy jump downstairs and ran and after that I heard two gunshots."

Police chased him from this house - about half a mile to this beachfront area at the Eastern side of the island where they shot him.

Shirley Young was in the area and heard those same gunshots - she asked to appear off camera:

Shirley Young, in area at time of shooting.

Shirley Young
"There was a young man peddling along on a bicycle really fast. I knew he was being chased. When I turned around, there was a police officer on a bicycle coming after him. The boy drop the bike, drop his hat and he started running south along the beach."

"The police was behind him. The police officer went after him. There was a shot fired probably in front of Tom's Hotel on the beach side. The officer went around the corner and another came on a motor scooter and he followed the two."

"I heard a second shot around the corner."

His friend Anita Garcia came to see police hauling him to the clinic:

Anita Garcia, Friend of Victim
"I went to assist the man because he is my children's family. We are the ones that have him out here because we send for him. Tyson is not a bad person. Tyson is home to the shop and shop to his home. Many people on the island know Tyson. I was at the hospital attending to him until they prepared him to go to Belize City Hospital."

"I felt bad because we are the ones who have him out here."

Jules Vasquez
"How was his condition?"

Anita Garcia, Friend of Victim
"He was in bad pain because he was shot in his back."

He was taken to Belize City where his sister Shanda Rodriguez received him.

Shanda Rodriguez, sister
"I think he got shot in his back and it exited through his belly."

Marion Ali, reporter
"Have you spoken with the doctors? What is his prognosis?"

Shanda Rodriguez, sister
"Right now he is undergoing surgery and he is stable. He ran from the police. He had surrendered, he doesn't want to have anything to do with them, and so they shouldn't have shot him like that. But such is it."

"I wish the police would have done a better job than that."

And that's the wider issue - residents in the area say they are systematically harassed.

Paul Rubio, Area Resident, "Black Neighborhood"
"When they came to my yard this morning that's what got me outraged and pissed off."

Paul Rubio has been living here for 14 years and made his home here. He says this morning heavily armed police came searching in his house as well.

Paul Rubio, Area Resident, "Black Neighborhood"
"The officer didn't even respect my side. He just came and opened my gate and walk in my yard like that."

"They came in my place with their big guns, that is why I am pissed off today. They told me not to put myself in this because I don't know what will happen."

And the residents of this black neighborhood say there is a racial dimension to the harassment:

Anita Garcia, Friend of Victim
"The officer Choc is a very racist officer. Everyone is talking about PC Choc out here and we would really appreciate if they would get Choc off this island."

"I, myself have problems with PC Choc. He watched me the other day and says that he would really want to kill someone that is black. I want to know if we are birds for him to say something like that."

Jules Vasquez
"You heard that?"

Anita Garcia, Friend of Victim
"He says that from his mouth. He says that he really would want to kill someone that is black. That is what Choc says from his mouth when he came here."

The other side of that is that business-owner on the island - most of whom are not black say that many of the residents of this neighborhood come to prey on legitimate businesses

Jules Vasquez
"Now, you have some people out there that say that a lot of the people that are through the hole, don't come here with any jobs, they come here to steal."

Anita Garcia, Friend of Victim
"I know what you are saying and I understand that but then this boy that came here wanted a job. He is looking for a job, but right now jobs out here are full."

"And I am trying to help him also, so what I do is try to help him until he can get a job."

Jules Vasquez
"Would he be in desperation that he would engage in criminal activity?"

Anita Garcia, Friend of Victim
"No way."

Marion Ali, reporter
"Is this the first time that your brother has an encounter with the police?"

Shanda Rodriguez, sister
"No this is not the first time but this is the worst time he ever got encounter with the police like this that it ends up in a situation where it could have been more dangerous. It could have been his life."

Police on the island would not comment, but the Department did issue a release saying that when they searched Rodriguez's residence in Caye Caulker, they found two small parcels of suspected marijuana. They say Rodriguez ran when he was informed of the find.

Police say he ran and was caught by an officer. They say a struggle then ensued where Rodriquez pulled a knife which resulted in the officer pulling out his 9 mm service revolver and shooting him once in the abdomen area.

Police say he is in a critical but stable condition. The release says that police have retrieved Rodriquez's knife.

Channel 7


Man from dark side of Caye Caulker shot

A man was shot this morning in the island of Caye Caulker, and a police is under investigation for pulling the trigger. Tyson Rodriguez was rushed to the K.H.M.H. and is in critical condition after undergoing emergency surgery. It is not the first time that the cops have shot at residents and the incident has fueled anger among the residents of the Black Neighborhood who believe the shooting was unnecessary. The facts are that Rodriquez moved to the island about a month ago in search of a job and this morning he was shot in the abdomen in a police chase by PC Juan Chuc. The police say he pulled a knife at them but residents dispute that version. News Five's Delahnie Bain reports from Caye Caulker.

 

Delahnie Bain, Reporting

A man was shot by police during an early morning raid in the area known as the Black Neighborhood in Caye Caulker. The cops were looking for drugs and when a small amount of marijuana was discovered, one of three persons at the house, twenty-five year old Tyson Rodriguez, jumped from the two-storey structure and attempted to flee. Police set chase and the pursuit ended when Rodriguez was shot to the abdomen. He was flown to Belize City for treatment and we met his sister at the K.H.M.H.

 

Shanda Rodriguez

Shanda Rodriguez, Sister of Tyson Rodriguez

"The way I get the situation how he got shot was because he was running from the police because he was staying with my cousin who lives in Caye Caulker and they were smoking a little weed and he saw the police haul out their guns and he ran. And then police shot him from behind. It exited his belly and now he's undergoing surgery."

 

Police claim that Rodriguez was shot because he attacked an officer with a ten inch knife. But his friend and neighbor, Melvin Lopez says he didn't have a weapon.

 

Melvin Lopez, Friend of Tyson Rodriguez

"About seven-thirty I was up here trimming my uncle hair then I si di police ranger pull up. Each police went to a house den dehn start search one ah my friend house yah den I si Tyson jump from dis yellow house and run through wah lee alley dah way deh. I hear ih get shot but I neva believe den when I gone by deh and I si dehn bring ah pan wah stretcher. I noh know weh time dehn shot ah or how much time, but I know ih get shot."

 

Melvin Lopez

Delahnie Bain

"Now, they are saying that he pulled out a knife. Did you see if he had anything with him when he was running?"

 

Melvin Lopez

"Nope, that's a lie he didn't have no knife."

 

Charles "Laban" Rubio, Estrella Street Resident

"From the month I’ve known him I would see him come borrow my boat, go fishing, come back, go home. Home, store, home, store; that's the only way I know Tyson. I don't really know him as a guy-about his history or if he's a bad guy or anything, I don't really know him like that."

 

Charles "Laban" Rubio

Charles Rubio, another resident of the Black Neighborhood, says that his house was targeted after Rodriguez ran past it, even though he tried to tell the officers which direction he went.

 

Charles Rubio

"When the police came they didn't even ask if they can come into my place, they came and broke the front of the house, they broke a part of the verandah, they jumped in over my fence with this big gun and come upstairs to my house. I have my little daughter, she started to cry and scream because she's so scared because she'd never seen a gun before. He also even push me in my face inside my house the other guy with the big gun, he walked outside and left the other police alone in my house. You know if I would have been a bad guy I could have attacked him in my house because he had no right to come into my house without a search warrant. And even if he would have come and said Mr. Rubio, I would like to conduct a search, please can I search your place I would give him the go ahead because I know my yard is clean and I live clean."

 

Rubio says that nothing incriminating was found in his yard, but he was still taken to the police station. He claims that the officers told him outright that they would continue to harass him.

 

Charles Rubio

"He said I will continue come here and harass you guys. I said well, I’m not a drug dealer so if you come to my place any day you won’t find nothing. So I want to urge this to the government or anyone because if anything happens to me it's because they have already told me what they are going to do. So right now I’m so scared but you guys came out here and decided to come to speak my mind. If I am harassed by the police department, I am going to sue the department. I am telling them out-front now; I don't want to be harassed by them because they are going to speak to my attorney."

 

The incident has Rubio contemplating relocation and Rodriguez's sister, Shanda believes the situation could have been handled differently.

 

Shanda Rodriguez

"I would just like for the police to hold it down. They got ways how police should carry out their duties, they got ways how they should deal with situations because ih neva have to shoot ah eena ih belly. Ih could ah mi shoot ah pan ih foot because wah belly dah wah tender part ah wah human being. Anything could happen and di far travel weh ih have to do fi reach yah and all ah dehn things. So I just wish they would ah tighten more pan di police force."

 

Charles Rubio

"This is the fourth person getting shot on this island."

 

Delahnie Bain

"By police?"

 

Charles Rubio

"By police. And so I am so scared. Right now I’m making up my mind to get out of this country. My oldest brother lives in Oslo and I’m about to buy a ticket, me and my family and get out of here because I’m so scared of this community now."

 

Tonight, Rodriguez is in critical but stable condition at the K.H.M.H. and police say that the knife and the police firearm have been recovered. Delahnie Bain for News Five.

 

Two others that have been shot by police in Caye Caulker are Alex Goff, who was fatally shot by Police Constable Alpheus Parham while in custody in May 2010 and Benedict Lopez, who was shot on Christmas Day while being detained for domestic abuse.

Channel 5


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Caye Caulker police shoots man in early morning drug search

This morning around 7am, police conducted a search at a resident on the island of Caye Caulker. They found two small parcels of suspected marijuana. One of the persons at the home, at the time of the search, 25 year old Tyson Rodriguez, was being informed of the find when he ran off. The police set chase and Rodriquez was captured. According to official reports, a struggle ensued where Rodriquez pulled out a knife from his pants waist and the officer pulled out his service revolver and shot Rodriquez once in the abdomen. But while that is the police report - the sister of the man that was shot says that she does not believe that the police had to shoot her brother because he had surrendered. She says that the report that her aunt is giving her is that her brother was shot in the back and it exited through the appendix.

Sister of Shooting Victim
This morning my aunt called me and told me that my brother was shot. So I came to the hospital, where I have been waiting for my brother. He is now undergoing surgery. He stays with my cousin who lives in Caye Caulker and that day they were smoking weed, when the Police came and one pulled out a gun and he got scared and ran away. That was when they shot him. The bullet went through his back and exited through his stomach.

The sister is not sure her brother will be filing any complaints with the internal affairs Dept- but she says that things could have been worse.

Sister of Shooting Victim
This is not the first time he was encountered by the Police; however this is the worst time, where it ended in a situation that could have been even more dangerous. He is not from the island, he was visiting my aunt. I don't know what my family will do; we need to hear from him because there is always two sides of a story.

Tyson Rodriguez is presently in a critical but stable condition at the KHMH. Police have since retrieved Rodriquez's knife and the police's 9mm service revolver as exhibit.

PlusTV



Police shoots Caye Caulker man who allegedly resisted arrest

A man was shot in the abdomen early this morning in Caye Caulker village. The victim has been identified as twenty five year old Tyson Rodriguez. The police's version of the story is that officers in the village conducted a search of a house in the Black neighbourhood area of the island. Police say Rodriguez was present at the time of the search and that authorities found two small parcels of suspected marijuana. Police say that as he was being informed of the find, Rodriguez bolted for freedom with the police in hot pursuit. Rodriguez was eventually caught by the officers but according to the official account of the incident, Rodriquez pulled out a knife from his pants waist, which resulted in the officer pulling out his 9 mm service revolver and firing a single shot. The policeman's bullet found its mark in Rodriguez's abdomen. Police say Rodriquez was taken first to the clinic in Caye Caulker village, then later transferred to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in Belize City where he underwent surgery. Rodriguez, according to the police is listed in a critical but stable condition. Love News spoke with Rodriguez' sister, Shanda this morning and she admits that her brother ran from police however she says that is why cops should not have shot him.

Shanda Rodriguez says that following surgery this morning, doctors at the KHMH told her that prognosis is that her brother will be okay. The two parcels of suspected marijuana have been confiscated and is being held as evidence. Today's police report on the incident ends by saying that authorities have since retrieved Rodriquez's knife and the 9 millimeter service revolver and are holding them as exhibit. Police investigation continues to determine the circumstances surrounding this latest shooting incident in Caye Caulker village.

LOVETV


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Man shot by cop gives his version of shooting incident

The Caye Caulker man, who was shot by police following a raid early Thursday morning, is speaking out. Three small parcels of marijuana were found inside the house, occupied at the time by three persons including, twenty-five year old Tyson Williams; whose name was reported by police as Tyson Rodriguez. The police also reported that Williams was shot after he attacked a cop with knife while being pursued. But today, News Five received a call from Williams who is still hospitalized at the K.H.M.H. and he wanted to give his version of what transpired. The K.H.M.H. did not allow us to do the interview at the hospital, but Williams spoke to us via phone. He admitted to having a small amount of weed and running from police, but he says he was unarmed when he was shot from behind.

Via Phone: Tyson Williams, Shot by Police

"I had a portion of weed in a bag, like five dollars weed in an ideal bag. I had dat eena my cargo pocket so weh happen is the officer searched me and came up with the bag ah weed. He told me he would charge me for possession of marijuana, blah blah blah. So I try pacify di matter and tell di man give me a run. You understand me? Both of them was inside the house so I was thinking maybe I could talk him out of it. Anyways, he tell me he noh di give me no run, mek I go wait outside until dehn done een deh. So what I did, when I reach pan di verandah I run downstairs and I run through the neighbor yard. When I run through the neighbor yard, he was like a hundred yards or two hundred yards from me cause I spaced him. Ih fire wah shot right den but ih miss. I met one of my acquaintance on di road and I asked him if I could jump on his bike. He tell me yeah mein so I jumped on his bike. Di bike had one ah dehn part to di front weh yoh put groceries, one ah di basket. So I jump pan di bike and I start ride but when I start ride, I mi di ride wid too much speed and chain came off. When di chain came off, I jumped off di bike and try put on di chain two times but noh work. So I throw down di bike and start run den I si di police deh behind me pan ih bicycle and ih di come. So I start run and I bang down wah lane, I tek wah right and while running, I hear wah gunshot and I fell on di ground."

Delahnie Bain

"I’m sure you've heard by not that the police are saying that you were shot because you pulled out a knife and attacked one of the officers."

Via Phone: Tyson Williams

"This is the reason ma'am why I am calling and trying to confirm my side of the story because if I had a knife, then why would I get shot in my back? that police that shot me, he was the only police around me at the time and he wasn't even close to me. He was about two hundred yards and a half away from me when he shot me on a bicycle while I was running."

Delahnie Bain

"Why did you run in the first place?"

Via Phone: Tyson Williams

"Because ah di weed ma'am."

Delahnie Bain

"So you just didn't want to face the charge?"

Via Phone: Tyson Williams

"Dah dat right deh ma'am. I neva want-first of all right miss, I deh dah Caye Caulker fi bout two months. I noh get eena no kinda altercation wid police or no altercation wid nobody; I stay out ah di way. I gone deh fi try find wah job and try hold off myself fi mek dis di happen to me and now dehn di try come wid dis cover up."

While Williams maintains that he did not have a knife, police issued a report saying that the weapon as well as the officer's service revolver were recovered from the scene and labeled as exhibits.

Channel 5


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If the officer hit him from 200 yards with a 9mm he is better than Magnum PI! I question the integrity of Mr. Williams' statement.

Last edited by MikeD; 03/31/12 10:14 AM.
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Originally Posted by MikeD
If the officer hit him from 200 yards with a 9mm he is better than Magnum PI! I question the integrity of Mr. Williams' statement.


Not to mention that the victim claims to have been a moving target at the time.

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The interesting part is whether he was shot in the back as he claimed or from the from as the police claimed.

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The effective range for a 9mm 'hand' gun is approx 50 yards.

Joined: Apr 2005
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The shot from 200 yrds missed him as he says in statement. Thier was an eye witness. I have been hoping after reading all this they would decide to come forward, understandably concerned with coming forward and getting invovled in what seemed like a cover up would be a bit scary. Thank God a statment was taken from this very responsable person today...what the young man, Williams says is just what the witness saw. No knife, other incriminating things were seen pertaining to Police actions but they have not come out and I am going to leave that to the law and reporters.


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