Tuesday, August 26, 2008 Teen jailed after failing to shoot friend's attacker By Ernie N. Olson Jr.
A TEENAGER was jailed, after he failed to shoot the assailant of his companion, who was shot during a free-for-all rumble along Teodora Alonzo Street, an hour after midnight last Thursday.
This resulted, after the gun he used to chase and shoot at his companion's attacker was found by responding policemen to be unlicensed.
The arrested suspect was described on Monday on records of the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) to be 17, single, a laborer from Kiangan, Ifugao, who lives in San Carlos Heights, Irisan.
His seriously injured companion, on the other hand, was named Aldrin Dugui-is Baday, 20, single, another jobless resident of the same neighborhood, who hails from Besao, Mt. Province.
According to initial investigation, the victim and his companions were waiting for a taxi to take them home, when a misunderstanding ensued among them along T. Alonzo Street around 1 a.m. of August 21.
After the still unidentified suspect punched the victim, the latter tried to retaliate, but the suspect pulled out a gun and shot him on the face at pointblank range.
Seeing that the victim was hit on the left eye, with the bullet exiting behind his head, his remaining companions immediately rushed him to the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center emergency room.
Responding to the crime scene, Senior Police Officer (SPO) 1 Sario Tacay caught the victim's three companions chasing a person, after another gunshot was heard.
After he frisked the three youth, he found the 17-year-old with a gun which was described to be a stainless snub-nosed caliber 38-revolver marked Smith & Wesson and loaded with one spent shell, but without any serial number.
Although he already deduced at the time that the gun was unlicensed, due to its lack of any serial number, he requested the teenager to present any document to show legal ownership of the firearm. But since the latter was not able to show any papers, this resulted to his arrest.
Teams from the BCPO Mobile Group, Team Siyasat and the Community Police Action Center 3 of BCPO Station 7 also arrived, and scoured the surrounding streets and alleys for any sign of the suspect, but their search proved futile.
Recovered at the crime scene was a spent caliber 45 bullet shell, which the police believe was fired by the escaped suspect.
After the teenager's arrest, he was detained in the Baguio City Jail on charges for his alleged violation of Republic Act (RA) 8294 or illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, and for the illegal discharge of the gun.
