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Last night we told you about the male shot in Douglas Village in the Orange Walk District – after a small riot ensued when a law enforcement team tried to seize some contraband. Turns out that male is a young man, only 19 years old – and he died this morning at the KHMH. He is Onorio Oba of San Victor Village which is north of Douglas. He was shot in the nose. He died this morning after 9:00 at the KHMH and we spoke to his father about the circumstances of the death. And we also have the Customs side of the story as they details and documents an anarchic scene in that riverside village. Here’s the story.

Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
We spoke to nineteen year old Onorio Oba’s father one hour after his son was pronounced dead at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. And while the victim’s father Marcelino Oba told 7News he understands it is a custom officer responsible for his son’s death just whose bullet struck Onori Oba is still being investigated.

But Customs officials say Onorio Oba was a member of an angry mob that attacked not only Customs officers but BDF soldiers, the Police and the Anti-Drug Unit. According to Comptroller of Customs Gregory Gibson, the security team was on a routine exercise along the Rio Hondo River checking the movement of contraband goods.

Gregory Gibson, Comptroller of Customs
“In the village of San Victor at a landing, the river landing and you have the layout where vessels can come across from Mexico, the team ran into a group of canoes, five in number and discovered a large assortment of smuggled goods. Clearly visible were beers, soft drinks, vegetables, all things that can be readily moved in this season. The team in trying to avoid detection hastily removed the canoes.”

But as this video captured on cell phone by the security team reveals the patrol came under a series of attack by villagers who gathered along the river bank and started throwing stones at the law enforcement officers.

Gregory Gibson,
“The team naturally made an attempt to remove themselves from the area and to avoid a confrontation and in so doing left a boat behind, a canoe behind, containing several cases of beers and other goods. They proceeded down the river towards Douglas.”

As the security team made the three mile journey by boat the angry villagers got into vehicles and drove fifteen miles also towards Douglas Village in an attempt it is believed to take back the smuggled goods. There the security team successfully loaded the smuggled goods onto the back of three vehicles and headed out onto the main road but it had been blocked by the mob and again they came under attack.

Gregory Gibson,
“During the process of coming down the road, they encountered this group of smugglers wielding machetes, sticks, and stones and who attempted to take over and take back the goods that the Customs had in their possessions, the un-customed goods. The officers under fear of their life and in trying to flee from the area fired a number of warning shots in the air.”

Fred Ford, OIC – Northern Division of Customs
“The vehicles were already parked obstructing Customs. They had to find a way to flee the area to secure themselves. They already had the cargo, they wanted to minimize any kind of damage or any kind of violence against people. Our intention was at all times was to avoid any kind of conflict or confrontation with this group who have a history of every two to three weeks we have to have warning shots fired at these people so that they can back off.”

According to Fred Ford, the officer in charge of Northern Division for Belize Customs, the mob was about ten feet away and advancing when the warnings shots were fired.

Fred Ford,
“In relation to Mr. Oba, Onorio Oba indeed he was in one of the three pickup trucks that followed Customs all the way to Douglas. He was part of one of the groups that attacked them.”

This video shows the damaged done to the security vehicles when the mob threw stones at the pickup trucks.

Fred Ford,
“Their intention was simply hostile. They had no friendly intentions. They had no open hands. Everybody had their hands filled.”

According to Marcelino Oba what he understands is that his son was not involved in any hostile take over of contraband goods.

Marcelino Oba, Father of Deceased
“The Customs officer who shot my son was aiming at another guy who was close by my son and when he fire the shot, the guy ran but the bullet caught my son. The man who the Customs officer aimed at stoned the Customs officer and when the man started to run, the Customs officer shot at him but when the custom officer fired his weapon, my son got hit in his face.”

Fred Ford,
“They were leaving Douglas, almost out of Douglas Village when the three pickup came and stopped right in front of them. They couldn’t get through and so they started to swarm the officers. The officers were trying to get up and trying to stop people from making any of thing and taking off any thing and that is when they came hostile with their machetes and somebody with a machete close from me to you is indeed a threat.”

Gregory Gibson,
“The police have retrieved 12 machetes that were used in the attack, a number stones, and sticks. We are supporting the investigation of the police fully. We have nothing to hide, it is a transparent process and it is unfortunate.”

Sr. Supt. Miguel Segura, Police Department
“Interviews are being done, statements being recorded. The weapons are being handled for the forensic aspect, some of the officers’ hands were swabbed, and that is all I can confirm at this point.”

Gregory Gibson,
“Officers’ guns are being checked ballistic-ally and at the end of the day, the police investigations will reveal the state of affairs. I am happy as the Comptroller of Customs and confident that that investigation will revealed that the officers used what was necessary to extricate themselves from a very violent situation that could have been a whole lot worse. It is clear in my opinion that the officers did not fire into the crowd.”

According to Ian Haylock, the officer in charge of the Investigations Unit at Customs the confiscated goods believe to be for the commercial market is valued at ten thousand dollars.

Ian Haylock, Head – Investigations Unit
“What we had was fifty cases of Sol beer, three cases of tomato, twelve cases of assorted soft drinks, five cases of styling gel, fifteen cases of pasta, fifteen sacks of rice, one sack of potato, a sack of onion, twenty sacks of flour. Also what was lost and basically because of the attempted invasion by the villagers were 20 cases of soft drinks and 20 cases of Modelo beer.”

Thursday attack against Customs officers, the BDF, the Police and the Anti Drug Unit has been a series of incidents that have been unfolding for sometime in which law enforcement officers have also been injured. In fact in 2000, Celso Marin, a Customs officer at the time was on such an operation when he was intentionally rammed by a vehicle. The deliberate attack left Celso Marin crippled for life. According to Comptroller of Customs Gregory Gibson they have been trying to talk with the villagers who reside in hostile in the hope to educate them in an effort to eliminate the smuggling and attacks against those who are charged with the responsibility to uphold the law.