7 News Belize

Robbers Zoned In On Target Making Cash Deposit
posted (July 3, 2020)
Tonight three men remain in custody for armed robbery while one is in the hospital and another is in the morgue. Gasman Henry Young died last night at around 6:30 after police shot him during a failed but daring escape.

Tonight more is known about this very brazen armed robbery at a busy bank on the northside. Here's a recap of that, as well as our last interview with Young, the robber who met his end at the hands of the police.

We now know that 5 men pulled up in front of the Scotia Bank in this green van and two of them went inside. They had their eyes on a specific customer who they seemed to know knew was making a large cash deposit.

Reports say that when this person reached the teller the robbers pounced, and snatched his deposit with over $20,000 in cash and $11,000 in checks - they also grabbed some amount of money from the teller. While this happened one of them held the security guard at gunpoint. During all this someone called the police. A GSU mobile was coming out of Westrac, heard the transmission and responded immediately.

So when the five men dashed out of the bank, the GSU mobile was right up on them. The cops sprang into action, shooting Jason Mckenzie in the forearm and then chasing the minivan to the end of seashore drive - all the while coming under fire from the escaping robbers.

One of the robbers, Gasman Arnold allegedly took his position inside this boat. He peered out GSU personnel fired a shot that hit him in the neck.

When police searched the boat they then found two 9mm pistols along with the stolen cash and cheques.

Gasman Young died at 06:30 last night. We spoke to him just over a month ago, at the end of May in what may have been his last interview. This is what he told us about an interaction with police in which he alleged brutality:

Gasman Young, Deceased
"I wanted witnesses cause I knew what was going to be the outcome."

He couldn't know then that his next interaction with the police would prove fatal - what he did know was that the deck was stacked against him.

Gasman Young, Deceased
"I wouldn't say that I'm the most innocent person or I'm an angel I'm a simple person where I am a circumstance of my actions and my decisions and I've made a couple of bad decisions in this life and everything but nothing to be treated as if I was the worst or I'm doing the worst."

"I literally find it hard that it's hard to change in Belize. Belize's system is not designed to give people opportunities to change If you make a path or you make a name for yourself that is what you'll be judged by for the rest of your life."

Police say that inside the boat they found a school bag containing two 9 millimetre pistols, $21,612 dollars in cash and $11,378 dollars in checks.

The four suspects being held pending charges are Leon Westby, Anthony Barrow, a 17-year-old, minor, and Jason Mckenzie, Those suspects are well known to police.

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