Three years and four months ago construction worker Steven Buckley was shot twice in the face by an Inspector Dennis Lopez on April twenty-eighth 2010. Buckley, his employer and another worker had just retired from work in the Port Loyola Area when a police patrol headed by Lopez intercepted them. Before they could exit the Dodge pickup, a pump twelve shot gun blasted Buckley who was seated in the cab. The pellets penetrated the windshield of the vehicle and lodged in Buckley’s head; he was rushed to the hospital, but was left paralyzed to the left side of the body. Lopez has since been charged for Attempted Murder and is out on bail. Buckley nearly died, and has been incapacitated and unable to work ever since because of those injuries. The Police Department promised compensation but never came through, and appeared to still be investigating the matter. The media brought the matter to the attention of Prime Minister Dean Barrow on Friday one week ago. He appeared shocked that Buckley had not received compensation and that the matter was still dragging on. On Monday, Buckley was called into a meeting and promised an undisclosed preliminary sum. That payment was to have been made today, and this morning News Five was at Buckley’s home for an update.
Stephen Buckley, Awaiting Payment
Stephen Buckley
“Right now I gwen go check see if it deh ina mi account.”
Mike Rudon
“Weh dehn mi tell you dah di meeting when you mi gone there with Dickie, your lawyer, about the money? Dehn mi tell you when yo mi wah get the money? Dehn mi give yo any details?”
Stephen Buckley
“All dehn mi tell me that by now, Friday, ih mi supposed to deh deh.”
Mike Rudon
“Dehn mi give yow ah amount? Exactly how much yo mi fi expect? Unu mi agree on any amount?”
Stephen Buckley
“Well dehn neva tell me how much dehn mi wah give me but that ih mi wah deh ina mi account. I feel wah way because right now I need help. Right now I noh know how I wha feed mi pickney dehn today.”
Mike Rudon
“I understand that although dehn promise yo this money, thing mi still rough fi yow eh yo still had to try scrounge round to find food during the week.”
Stephen Buckley
“Well right now dah wah struggle for me because then the man she dehn wah deal with me and dehn noh send anything to mi account yet.”
Reporter
So tell us what happened when you went inside to the credit union and walked up to the teller?”
Stephen Buckley
“When I reach, before I even reached to the tellers, wah man come and hail me and ker me to a room in the back and check ina the account and tell me nothing ina di account as yet.”
Mike Rudon
“What dah di next move now for you?”
Stephen Buckley
“Well I want go try see my lawyer make he deal with that for me and see what is going on.”
Reporter
“Sir how difficult is it knowing that you have struggled for three years with this injury, your family is also there with you struggling; they’ve promised you this money after a long span…today is Friday and that money is still not there.”
Stephen Buckley
“Well it very hard to me because like weh I tell unu I need help and it noh di come to me that way. I have to struggle fi get it.”
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