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21-year-old Edmund Bull was shot in the leg by police yesterday while attempting to escape a court warrant for his arrest. 

Bull had attended Orange Walk’s magistrate’s court for what he and his family believed was a matter to do with a bicycle. He was accompanied by his sister Beverley Bull who witnessed his attempt to escape and the shot that stopped him in his tracks. 

Here’s her account of what she calls an unwarranted amount of force used against her brother:

Beverly Bull - Sister
"So my little brother went inside, we stayed outside and waited, when he sae him coming out, I asked him, you ready, it's done? He said yes and we're looking to walk off when the police said you have to come with me, my little brother responded I'm not going with unno and then he ran off and the police went behind him but he didn't run him down fully, he reached like half way and he turned back. When he was already walking towards my direction, all of us heard a gunshot, when he turned and looked where the gunshot was heard, I think he saw it was my little brother when I heard between the crowd said that the man get shot. So I run towards the direction I saw my little brother, screaming he was shot and I approached him, indeed he was saying he was shot and I don't know what feeling came up from me. I literally nearly ravel with the police officer, I wanted to him actually because I was angry. He was there for about 15-20 minutes, please big man, call somebody, I'm in pain, carry me to the hospital. I started cursing because the next police is using his phone, like I don't know what he is going but he is there like he is not paying attention to me at the moment. Then afterwards I see he went, he's going to the station, he's going to get a mobile, I think that is what he said. He is down there the bawl, when they come they put him in the mobile and took him to the hospital."

And this evening via phone Commissioner of police Chester Williams told Jules Vasquez that the use of force against Bull was sufficiently justified:

Chester Williams - Commissioner of Police
"I had been informed by the investigators from PSB that Mr. Edmond Bull attended magistrate court yesterday morning in Orange Walk Town. There is was no sitting magistrate and so the court prosecutor and the clerk of courts were both dealing with the different adjournments but the prosecutor had in hand a bench warrant for Bull and so, Bull was informed by the prosecutor of the bench warrant that they have for his arrest and upon doing so, Bull took off, escaping from the court. The police officer tried to pursue him but he manage escape the court and at that same time Mr. Reyes who is the deputy in Orange Walk was coming and he saw what was taking place. Mr. Reyes indicated to Bull to stop and he refused to stop, still sprinting off like a deer and Mr. Reyes then took out his issued fire arm and he fired one shot in the foot of Mr. Bull with a view to prevent him from further escaping."

Jules Vasquez
"Sir was that use lethal force justified in so far as, we now that Mr. Bull was not considered armed and dangerous. Yes, he is accused of breaking someone's windshield and I suppose other crimes but, you know force should be used proportional with the threat. Was this a proportional use of force?"

Chester Williams
"Well, I don't understand what exactly you're trying to say but, from what I can tell you, the force used by the officer was justified. He used sufficient force to prevent the escape of a prisoner from whom the court had issued a warrant. If it is that Mr. Bull and his family members do not want him to have been shot or injured by the police while trying to escape, then he ought not have escape from custody. He has an obligation once he was been told there was a warrant for his arrest, to surrender himself. To try and escape from the court and from the police, I don't understand how could one say that shooting him in the foot with a view to prevent him from further escaping would be unjustified. I have a different view and I will stand behind my officers when they are right and when they are wrong, I'll be the first to admit that they are wrong and in this particular instance, I do not see nothing wrong done by the officer, notwithstanding that, the professional standard branch are going to put together the file and then we'll send it to the DPP and let her make the final determination from there."

Edmund Bull has been charged for destruction of property. His sister has received charges of her own for use of indecent language and assaulting a police officer.