VZCZCXYZ0007
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDG #0769/01 1402058
ZNR UUUUU ZZH (CCY AD9470A3 MSI6717-695)
R 192058Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0742
INFO RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE
RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHDC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RHMCSUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SANTO DOMINGO 000769 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
C O R R E C T E D  C O P Y  ((ADDED CAPTION)) 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CAR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC PHUM PGOV SOCI DR
SUBJECT: POLICE KILLINGS - A CAUSE OF CONCERN 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: The recent spate of police killings in 
Santo Domingo and Boca Chica highlight a disturbing trend of 
deaths at the hands of police, often attributed to "exchanges 
of gunfire."  In both incidents, police demonstrated improper 
adherence to police and judicial procedures and used 
excessive force resulting in seven civilian deaths, three of 
whom were minors.  However, the subsequent police response of 
quickly investigating and dismissing accused police officials 
from the force may be a silver lining, as historically police 
officials have been reluctant to admit wrongdoing and have 
been prone to covering up any police misconduct.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On May 2, three youths, eighteen year-old Lander 
Beltran, alias Buggyman, sixteen year old Nayrobi Caminero 
Manzanillo, and Jason Jeffrey Mena, were suspected of robbing 
a store in Bello Campo, Santo Domingo.  Neighborhood 
residents witnessing the robbery formed a mob, captured and 
beat the youths before turning them over to the police. 
Eyewitnesses saw the youths alive when the police took them 
into custody.  A home video also captured the police roughly 
man-handling and dragging the youths into the back of a 
pick-up truck.  Their bullet ridden bodies were found later. 
 
¶3. (SBU) At the same day in La Caleta, Boca Chica, four 
civilians were also killed by the police.  The police version 
of the events stated that Lieutenant Colonel Galis Manuel 
Cordero, accompanied by Captain Valentin Encarnacion, First 
Lieutenant Narciso Lugo Ramirez and suspected thief Rafael 
Arias alias Chipa (who was arrested earlier in Las Americas 
airport), were in La Caleta to recover, from the house of a 
person named Deysi, part of the USD$400,000 stolen from a 
United Parcel Services (UPS) office several months ago. 
While at the residence, Deysi screamed she was being robbed, 
leading to various neighborhood residents coming to her aid 
by throwing rocks and shooting at the police.  In the ensuing 
melee, numerous shots were fired resulting in the killing of 
Cordero and four civilians. In another version, residents 
claimed the police themselves shot the colonel in an attempt 
to expropriate the recovered money and shot those who 
witnessed the shooting to cover up.  The Attorney General's 
office disagreed with the official police version calling 
into question the lack of knowledge of the operation by 
police higher-ups, a search or arrest warrant, and the 
required presence of a public prosecutor; the use of 
plainclothes by the police; as well as carrying out of the 
operation at night, which is contrary to police procedure. 
 
¶4. (SBU) In the Santo Domingo case, after an investigation by 
police Internal Affairs, the police determined that the 
victims were shot by the police.  The police hierarchy acted 
upon the results of the investigation and dismissed Major 
Domingo Antonio Diaz Rodriguez, First Lieutenant Nicolas 
Martinez and Second Lieutenant Lorenzo Rodriguez Martes from 
the force and passed their cases to the Attorney General's 
office for prosecution.  On May 8, a judge ordered Diaz 
Rodriguez, Martinez, and Rodriguez Martes be remanded to one 
year preventative custody in Najayo prison.  Preventative 
custody is often recommended to prevent flight of suspects. 
The following police were also sent to jail for thirty days 
for "negligence, lack of tact, and not observing the prudence 
required by the circumstances," First Lieutenants Nicolas 
Martinez, Alejandro Valenzuela Ditren, Corporal Tineo Rafael 
Rosario and Privates Rafael A. Pichardo Jimenez and Frangel 
¶A. Grullon Pineda. 
 
¶5. (SBU) In the Boca Chica case, police investigators found 
two pistols and numerous shell casings within the vicinity of 
the incident.  The shell casings corresponded to the two 
pistols found as well as to the service weapons of the 
police.  The investigators, however, were unable to determine 
who shot Cordero as the projectile was never recovered after 
passing through Cordero. The police have detained civilians 
Jose Antonio Beltre Montero and Hector Antonio Carrion Lopez 
in connection with the incident.  The police recommended that 
Encarnacion and Lugo Ramirez be dismissed from the police 
force and be charged criminally along with civilians Beltre 
Montero and Carrion Lopez.  The Dominican Attorney General 
Radhames Jimenez stated that his office will demand the 
thirty year maximum sentence for any police officer found 
guilty.  On May 7, a judge ordered Encarnacion and Lugo 
Ramirez be remanded to a year of preventative custody in 
Najayo prison. 
 
¶6. (U) These cases come on the heels of media reports that in 
an eight month period from August 2007 to March 2008, 142 
people have been killed in "exchanges of gunfire" with the 
police. The Attorney General's office, however, reported that 
189 people have died in these "exchanges of gunfire" while 
173 individuals were killed by the police in course of their 
duty within a seven month period from January to August 2007. 
 
 
¶7. (SBU) Comment: The number of killings in alleged 
"exchanges of gunfire" has increased in recent years.  Both 
the present and previous police chiefs have dismissed police 
officers for grave and serious misconduct but this has done 
little to curb such killings.  However, it is encouraging 
that the police immediately investigated the latest 
incidents, determined the youths in Santo Domingo were killed 
while in police custody, and dismissed the accused police 
officials and turned them over to the Attorney General for 
prosecution. It remains to be seen whether these actions are 
enough to reduce the propensity of local police to resort to 
deadly force or are the harbinger of increase transparency in 
the police institution.  End Comment. 
FANNIN