By Breaking Belize News Staff: An 18-year-old Dangriga fisherman who was found suffering from a gunshot wound last week has now been remanded to prison after police alleged that a loaded .38 revolver discovered near where he was lying belonged to him. It also remains unclear, however, whether or not the injured gunshot victim shot himself or was shot by someone else and left there.
Jorge Bustillo, a resident of the Monument Site area of Dangriga, appeared unrepresented in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court late Wednesday and was charged with keeping a firearm without a gun licence and keeping ammunition without a gun licence.
He pleaded not guilty to both charges and was remanded to the Belize Central Prison until November 9, when he is expected to appear in the Dangriga Magistrate’s Court.
According to police allegations, shortly after midnight on Thursday, September 17, officers responded to reports of a shooting in the #2 New Site area of Dangriga.
Police said they found Bustillo lying face down in low bushes and suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to the inner thigh of his left leg. He was reportedly bleeding profusely and complaining of severe pain.
Approximately seven feet away, officers allegedly discovered a rusty .38-calibre revolver bearing serial number X013848.
Police said Scenes of Crime personnel processed the area and found the revolver contained five live .38 rounds and one expended shell.
No other person was reportedly found in the immediate area.
Bustillo was taken to the Dangriga hospital before being transferred to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in Belize City for further treatment.
Following his discharge, police met Bustillo at the Queen Street Police Station on September 22 and informed him about the firearm recovered near the location where he had been found wounded.
Police said Bustillo indicated that he did not possess a gun licence, after which he was charged.
When he appeared in court, Bustillo was reportedly unable to walk without assistance and was taken into the courtroom in a wheelchair.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting itself, including who fired the shot that injured Bustillo, remain unclear from the information presented in court.
The firearm and ammunition charges against Bustillo remain allegations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court
The post Teen found by police with gunshot wound in inner thigh and gun lying next to him brought to court in wheelchair for ‘Dusty-Eight’ appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: An 18-year-old Dangriga fisherman who was found suffering from a gunshot wound last week has now been remanded to prison after police alleged that a loaded .38 revolver discovered near where he was lying belonged to him. It also remains unclear, however, whether or not the injured gunshot victim shot
The post Teen found by police with gunshot wound in inner thigh and gun lying next to him brought to court in wheelchair for ‘Dusty-Eight’ appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
