The National Police headquarters admitted their agents acted with "excess and negligence" and went too far when firing seven bullets at Juan Expedito García Almanzar. The admission was made after relatives of García Almanzar demanded an explanation. One of the relatives, Katty Jiménez was an eyewitness to the killing. The Police announced the discharge of six agents and 30-day arrest for two others for lying to their superiors and negligence in service. The 49-year-old businessman was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He had just closed his business, together with his daughter-in-law 23 year old Katty Jiménez, and was about to leave in his car when the three alleged bandits kidnapped them. The Police was in the bandits’ pursuit, and the threesome preferred to swamp cars to try to evade capture. When García’s car didn’t turn on, they decided to take the two as hostages and got back into their stolen black Honda jeep. The Police caught up with them at the crossing of Manoguayabo, on the outskirts of Santo Domingo, and two of the bandits that were armed left the vehicle running. Despite pleas by Jiménez, the agents fired at García who lay down on the ground to avoid being hit by a stray bullet in the shooting, confusing him with one of the bandits. Jiménez was spared, but she said one of the agents ordered another to kill her, too. Police brutality has incremented in the DR, as the Police has taken a hard-line and chosen to eliminate caught delinquents on site, supposed in crossfire shootouts, in order to reduce criminality. The Police complain that the captured delinquents that are sent to the judiciary easily find a way out and back onto the streets. The Attorney General and the District Attorney offices have been very critical of Police actions and have requested that agents involved in killings of civilians be tried by judicial and not military courts. Reports show that from January to July of this year, the Police has shot 84 citizens to death on the streets. Minister of Interior and Police Norge Botello commenting on the incident said, "There have not been in-depth structural reforms in the National Police and the mentality of the agent continues being the same, with the exception of circumstantial situations. He nevertheless justified the Police violence saying that the criminals are violent and armed, also. But, he said that a more civilian criterion needs to prevail in the Police. The Police captured Richard Mendez González, and the National Commission of Human Rights turned in the other fugitive, Jose Ortiz, to the Police. The two are known to have commited several other crimes, according to newspaper reports. Father Rogelio Cruz said that the only solution is to create a new police force from scratch.
