Where is Kelvin? What did the GSU do out here? People wants to know!

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Students Protest For Kelvin

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Where is Kelvin Usher? That is the question on everyone's mind tonight - searches continued today in the Lucky Strike area yet there is still not trace of the 17 year old Sixth Form Student 72 hours after he bolted from police.
And the public is growing impatient and angry: today about 90 protesters - led mostly by Kelvin's students and peers - gathered on the Belcan Bridge to demand answers from authorities, mainly the GSU.

There is a thick cloud of speculation that the GSU had something to do with Usher's disappearance. The group expressed that sentiment with bitter anger today. Courtney Weatherburne reports.

Courtney Weatherburne reporting
What started as a two man demonstration on the Belcan Bridge...

Protestors chanting
"We want answers. We want answers."

Erupted into a band of passionate protesters - all in Kelvin Usher's name.

Justin Usher, Friend
"Today I am out here because we need to make a start to finding answers and this is a start and I can assure you this is not the end of it. We will be having more protests coming along the way but we need answers and we are demanding answers and we want the public behind us."

And behind them were mostly Kelvin Usher's SJC friends and concerned citizens. They circled the Belcan Bridge a couple times. The police were also monitoring the group and regulating the heavy mid-day traffic.

Other officers were on the bridge and standing by in the SAVE U parking lot - preparing for any violent outbreak.

There was none, the crowd kept walking and chanting loudly, until after 1:00, when it seemed like they were all dispersing.

But it wasn't over at all- they took their protest unto Freetown Road, then unto North Front Street. Over the Swing Bridge unto Albert Street. Then making a stop in front of the Queen Street Police Station.

That went on for a while as the police stood behind the gates looking on at the raging crowd.

Justin Usher, Friend
"It is an unfortunate situation what is happening and it starts from the police department because as they say the father was there and he knew what happened and he saw that the police was the last one that was in contact with his son so we are demanding answers from the Police department or the GSU whoever it is the people that were there on duty we want a full investigation on them."

After getting their message across loud and clear to the police. The police finally came out to scoot them aside so the vehicles could pass.

But that didn't stop them either, they kept on walking under the blazing sun back to Belcan Bridge where they started. It was quite a long drag all afternoon but Usher's friends say it is all about love, hope and a desperate need for answers.

Angelique Baltazar, Friend
"That was our friend, he was loved by many and if we don't speak up it will just turn to nothing and it is so hard breaking because we just want answers."

Jasmine Castillo, Friend
"Just because of the situation that he is in and where they found him don't cast your judgments upon him because of where you found him try to find out more about and understand the person he is and understand why we want him home because he is a really nice person and everyone at school and all his friends really miss him."

Justin Usher, Friend
"I believe that hope is there and I have faith, we have to keep our faith as a nation and together we have to stand in solidarity and in unity because we are the people of this nation."
 
Protestors Say They Won’t Stop
posted (September 27, 2017)
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The protest ended on the Belcan Bridge around 3:00 - under a strong police presence who kept a very firm presence on the Belcan Bridge.
But according to Usher's friends this is just the beginning. They plan to head back out on the streets tomorrow with more force. We caught up with Justin Usher and COLA's Giovanni Brackett after the demonstration and they confirmed as much.

Justin Usher, Friend
"Surely we are not ending this protest toady we will start again tomorrow and we want more people to come out tomorrow - all of Kelvin family, friends, everyone that knows him, we want everyone to come out tomorrow because unity is strength."

"We will keep the pressure up not matter what until we get answers and we demand answers and we demand the Prime Minister of Belize do a full thorough investigation on the people who were involved when Kelvin Usher disappeared."

Giovanni Brackett, President COLA
"When I saw the post from Justin I quickly said I am going to be out here to support it is last minute but something to this magnitude needs national attention Jules, we have been out here supporting Justin, other activists have been out here, workers from BTL were out here this morning, tremendous outpour of support has been out here and if he is going to be out here tomorrow evening we will be out here tomorrow evening."

"We need closure for this family it seems that closure in this nation is when you find a dead body that is not the closure we want here today, we want justice and we want to know if they killed that young man if that young man is missing we need an adequate explanation or else I can guarantee you it won't be just these young people but it will be the full-fledged supporters of COLA and other people who will turn this nation upside down until we get justice, enough is enough."

Police dispersed the crowd from in front of Save-U at 3:00 pm.
 
GSU Commander Says Shots Were Fired, “Warning Shots”
posted (September 27, 2017)
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And half hour later, the Ministry of Home Affairs convened a press conference at the new Belize City headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The event was chaired by Home Affairs Minister Wilfred Elrington who brought the commander of the GSU and the acting commissioner to take all questions.

And there are some very tough ones out there - mainly did the GSU fire shots that could have wounded Kelvin Usher and led to his death? Today, the Commander said that when the team decide don the Lucky Strike Plantation, only four warning shots were fired:

Supt. Andres Makin- GSU Commander
"Upon embarking on the plantation warning shots were fired but they were fired in the air. At no time were they directed at the person that had fled the scene. Based on what I've been briefed, we've not gathered anything to say that the guy was shot at or injured in any way because the Scenes of Crime has processed the scene and nothing has yielded any traces of blood to indicate that yes the individual had been actually injured."

Jules Vasquez - Reporter
"You say that Scenes of Crime has not found any signs of anything, how about the expended shells? You said warning shots were fired. How many expended shells were recovered and where are these?"

Supt. Andres Makin
"Well, when it comes to the expended shells, I was told that yesterday when the Scenes of Crimes went on the scene apparently they did not recover any of the expended shells, but as far as I was briefed from my people, it was around 3 or 4 shots that were fired in the air."

Jules Vasquez
"The report is that the GSU took their expended shells after firing whichever shots they fired. Has any of your officers indicated that indeed this is what they did?"

Supt. Andres Makin
"No, I haven't gotten that information."

Jules Vasquez
"Is it unusually that expended shells would not be found if it was fired in a controlled area or a known area?"

Supt. Andres Makin
"I should think so, yes."

Jules Vasquez
"Ok, so that would be an inconsistency."

Supt. Andres Makin
"Well, what I'm saying is that I haven't been told or there is nothing to indicate that the shells were removed and I haven't gotten any information with regards to that."

Jules Vasquez
"But they are there and, in the normal course, would be there."

Supt. Andres Makin
"Definitely, they should have been there."

Jules Vasquez
"So then, might there be a suggestion then that the officers who responded might not be disclosing the full ambit or the full scope of their operation?"

Supt. Andres Makin
"I wouldn't say so, I've been briefed that they fired three to four rounds and there nothing to show that they went back and they took anything off the scene."

Jules Vasquez
"Whenever rounds are fired they must be accounted for. Is that a practice in this case? Is there any reconciliation of: ok, uno gone out with 100 live rounds and uno came back with 90 plus."

Supt. Andres Makin
"Yes, upon their return my deputy was tasked to look into the matter and to check the rounds that had been issued to the different officers."

Jules Vasquez
"And everything…what was the..?"

Supt. Andres Makin
"Around four rounds were fired."

Jules Vasquez
"There must be a precise number."

Supt. Andres Makin
"Three from one of the individuals and one from the other individual."

Jules Vasquez
"The working theory is that the GSU, which does not have a stellar reputation in the public mind, the working theory is that this young man was killed by the GSU and they buried him out there. The Old Northern Highway has many stories to tell. Me and you are in this long enough to know about Kirk "Psycho" Thompson, Rock Stone Pond. This is a place where people have disappeared in the past."

Supt. Andres Makin
"Jules, there is no way that that could have occurred. The male individual that was apprehended, it has now been revealed that that is the father and at no time did the persons on the ground separated from the father of that kid that day. Therefore, there was no way that that child could have been killed by the GSU because then his father would have been a witness if that had occurred."

Makin says there were 5 officers with different caliber weapons.
 
UPDATE:

Kelvin is reported to be home now. Being taken to the police station. More to come, but thank God he is okay.
 
Kelvin is Safe, Sound And At Home
posted (September 28, 2017)
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Kelvin Usher has been found - and is safe at home with his family tonight. The news blazed out early this morning around 7:30 that he had been found alive on the old Northern Highway. His father is the one who collected him and brought him directly to their Sibun Street home in Belize City. That's where ACP Chester Williams was the first to go to the house to interview him. Today at a press conference called by the Prime Minister, Williams outlined the narrative that the 17 year old gave him:...
ACP Chester Williams, Commander, Professional Standards Branch
"In my discussion with Kelvin Usher this morning, he confirmed that he indeed heard shots fired and subsequent to hearing the shots fired he took off in the bushes. He continue by saying that he spent the entire 3-4 days in the bushes and it was until this morning that he watch the sun rising and he decided to follow the sun, knowing that the sun will rise from the east and his way out of the farm would be east. He said in following the sun he came upon a farm road which took him to 2 other subsequent farm roads and eventually to the old northern highway in the general vicinity of where he had escaped from the police and while there waiting he saw his father vehicle coming and stopped his father, he got into the vehicle and they came to Belize City."

"I must say that Mr. Usher have some injuries on his hands which he said was caused by the fact that he was running in the bushes. He said that he was in the bushes for so long because he was lost and let me make it emphatically clear that during my debriefing of him, he made it clear that at no time did he encounter the police. He said when he heard the shots and the person shouted out "police" he didn't look back to see if it was police. He just took off in the bushes. He was asked if he was beaten by the police, he said no, he never came upon the police. He was asked if the police had him held captive. He said no the police did not have him kept captive. It was just a matter that he was lost in the bushes and was able to make his way out of the bushes this morning."

"So the whole notion that police were involved in his disappearance and had him held captive, that is dispelled through the words of Mr. Usher himself."

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"Would you explain how he described his subsistence during that time?"

ACP Chester Williams
"In my discussion with him, he basically said that he only drank water and had nothing to eat. It was not until this morning that he actually got something to eat when he came upon a farm and he said he shouted and the owner of the farm came out and he ask the owner of the farm for something to eat and he was given tomato, berries and coconut and that was what he ate this morning before he was found. Prior to that based on his own account he ate nothing other than drinking water."

Reporter
"Anybody out there and in the wilderness for surviving on water for 3 days would be weak, would be emaciated. Is that the appearance that this young man had?"

ACP Chester Williams
"From my view of him, he do not appeared to be weak, but so as not to be underestimating his condition, I have directed that he be taken to the doctor to be examine to ensure that he gets some level of medical attention or some level of medical examination just to ensure that he is good health."

Reporter
"Did you get an idea as to day by day what it was that he was doing out in the bushes? Where he slept and how he kept himself alive basically out there?"

ACP Chester Williams
"Yes I did, but I really and truly do not want to go into too much details where that is concern."
 
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