MANILA – Six police officers assigned in Navotas City were disarmed and placed under restrictive custody following the death of a teenager in a suspected case of mistaken identity, a ranking police official said on Wednesday.
Philippine National Police Public Information Office (PNP-PIO) chief Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan said a police executive master sergeant, three staff sergeants, two corporals, and one patrolman involved in the incident are now facing administrative and criminal charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide.
Citing the report of the Navotas City police, Maranan said the police officers conducted a pursuit operation on Aug. 2 in response to a murder incident when they chanced upon the victim identified as 17-year-old Jerhode Jemboy Baltazar who was then on board a boat.
The police said they commanded Baltazar and his companion to surrender.
Baltazar, however, allegedly jumped into the river, prompting law enforcers to fire at him which resulted in his death.
The police officers later admitted that Baltazar was not the suspect they were looking for but a certain Reynaldo Bolivar.
"Wala silang tangka talagang saktan at wala sila dahilan para gawin sa tao yung pangyayari while part pa ng investigation yun kasi yung kanilang mga firearms dahil kinolekta natin ay i-subject pa sa ballistic examination yun para ma-determine natin kung newly fired or hindi newly fired yung mga firearms (They have no real intention to harm and they have no reason to fire at the person while that is still part of the investigation. Theirs firearms have been confiscated and will be subjected to ballistic examination so that we can determine if the firearms are newly fired or not),” Maranan told reporters.
Maranan also assured that the PNP will not tolerate the lapses of the involved personnel.
"We will give justice to Jemboy at sisiguraduhin natin na patas at mabilis yung ating imbestigasyon na gagawin (and we will make sure that our investigation will be fair and swift),” he added. (PNA)
