NewsWhore
02-13-2012, 02:40 PM
Shots were fired at a vehicle in which merengue singer Miriam Cruz was traveling in the early hours of Saturday morning, February 11. The vehicle was being driven by her husband Englebert Landolfi and the other passengers were her head of security, Victor Reynoso and the band director Henry Jimenez. Cruz had been performing in Barahona and was returning to the capital at around 3am. According to Listin Diaro, her husband heard a sound and thought he had hit something on the road. There were then more sounds and they saw a vehicle behind them shooting at them. A tire was then punctured by a bullet and they stopped outside a colmado where there was more light. Three of them ran to hide behind the colmado and Reynoso stayed with the vehicle with his hands in the air. According to Landolfi, around 20 men surrounded Landolfi and he was shot in each leg. The police then told them to come out of their hiding place and made them kneel on the floor whilst they checked the vehicle. A Major of the National police then arrived and ordered the police to lay down their weapons.
Subsequently they left in the vehicle containing the rest of the band, which was travelling behind and went to the police station to make a formal complaint. According to Landolfi the police said that they had confused his vehicle with one that had been causing problems earlier on the Malecon. He said that his vehicle had been hit by at least 60 bullets, adding that he could not understand how the police said that they had confused the vehicle when theirs was covered with the photographs and name of the singer.
Victor Reynoso was taken to the San Tomas clinic in Barahona for treatment for gunshot wounds to his right leg and left foot.
The Police Chief, Major General Jose A. Polanco Gomez, ordered the arrest of the police officers involved pending a full investigation in order to clarify exactly what happened. It was subsequently announced on Sunday that the police have dismissed two privates, Julio Cesar Castro Feliz and Pascual Escalante Pena, together with Corporal Rafael Cuevas Feliz. In addition three officers have been suspended and sentenced to 30 days in jail n First Lieutenant Francisco Feliz Perez and Second Lieutenant Domingo Pena Feliz, for not carrying out their duties and failure to comply with police procedures. Major Ricardo Alcantara Feliz was also suspended for acting without orders and giving false information to the head of the police
According to the police, whilst they confirmed that they were looking for a similar vehicle to that belonging to Cruz, they also said that her vehicle refused to stop at a checkpoint leading to the chase, which ended when the tire was punctured. Landolfi confirmed that he drove quickly as he thought that they were being pursued by criminals, as reported in El Dia.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#5)
Subsequently they left in the vehicle containing the rest of the band, which was travelling behind and went to the police station to make a formal complaint. According to Landolfi the police said that they had confused his vehicle with one that had been causing problems earlier on the Malecon. He said that his vehicle had been hit by at least 60 bullets, adding that he could not understand how the police said that they had confused the vehicle when theirs was covered with the photographs and name of the singer.
Victor Reynoso was taken to the San Tomas clinic in Barahona for treatment for gunshot wounds to his right leg and left foot.
The Police Chief, Major General Jose A. Polanco Gomez, ordered the arrest of the police officers involved pending a full investigation in order to clarify exactly what happened. It was subsequently announced on Sunday that the police have dismissed two privates, Julio Cesar Castro Feliz and Pascual Escalante Pena, together with Corporal Rafael Cuevas Feliz. In addition three officers have been suspended and sentenced to 30 days in jail n First Lieutenant Francisco Feliz Perez and Second Lieutenant Domingo Pena Feliz, for not carrying out their duties and failure to comply with police procedures. Major Ricardo Alcantara Feliz was also suspended for acting without orders and giving false information to the head of the police
According to the police, whilst they confirmed that they were looking for a similar vehicle to that belonging to Cruz, they also said that her vehicle refused to stop at a checkpoint leading to the chase, which ended when the tire was punctured. Landolfi confirmed that he drove quickly as he thought that they were being pursued by criminals, as reported in El Dia.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#5)