Family of slain Dominican police sergeant demands justice

The family of Sergeant José Ramón Henríquez Mejía, a member of the National Police's Central Investigation Directorate (Dicrim) who was shot and killed in La Canela, Santiago, is demanding justice following the second postponement of a coercion hearing.

The hearing for 21-year-old suspect Steven Antonio Sandoval Bautista, known as ‘El Vico’, has been rescheduled for Friday, October 30, after his legal counsel claimed ignorance of the case file. During his transfer through the Santiago Palace of Justice, Sandoval Bautista alleged that a 17-year-old minor was the individual who actually fired the shots.

A 17-year-old adolescent has already been placed in three months of preventive detention at a juvenile correction center in La Vega. Lucía Mejía, the sergeant's mother, and Meliza Quezada, his cousin, have publicly called for a thorough investigation to ensure those responsible are held accountable.