Wednesday, August 06, 2008 Responding cop kills bystander
A POLICEMAN is being detained for accidentally shooting a bystander dead while responding to a domestic squabble in Sitio Ponce I, Barangay Carreta, Cebu City early yesterday morning.
Allen Ybañez Regner, 30, of St. Jude, Barangay Hipodromo, died of a gunshot wound in the head hours after he was taken to Cebu City Medical Center. The slug tore Regner’s left eye and exited through the back of his head.
PO1 Joseph Mumar Villamor, 32, who is assigned at the Police Security and Protection Group (PSPG) 7, was placed under arrest after the incident.
He underwent a paraffin test to determine if he had fired a gun.
He also surrendered his Philippine National Police (PNP)-issued Taurus 9mm pistol with a magazine loaded with 14 bullets. The items were submitted to the PNP Crime Laboratory 7 for ballistic examination.
Although it would be irrelevant in the shooting investigation, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Bureau Chief George Ylanan said his office will conduct a background investigation on Regner.
The victim reportedly yielded several packs of a white crystalline substance believed to be shabu and several pieces of ammunition.
Attending physicians at the CCMC’s emergency room headed by Dr. Gloria Duterte recovered a small silver box containing 17 sachets of what appeared to be shabu, seven bullets and two empty shells from Regner’s pockets.
Also found in Regner’s possession were P100, 25 centavos, two cellular phones, three silver necklaces and a bronze ring.
Cebu City Police Office Director Patrocinio Comendador, in a news conference, said Villamor may be charged with homicide through reckless imprudence.
Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Director Ronald Roderos, in a radio dyLA report, said the PSPG that holds office inside the compound of the Camp Sergio Osmeña Sr. is only under the regional police’s operational management but its administrative aspect is directly under Supt. Crisaleo Tolentino.
Tolentino is the PSPG 7 chief.
Roderos said he will ask the PRO 7 Legal Division to study Villamor’s case if there is a need to provide him with a lawyer.
Initial investigation conducted by homicide investigators led by Senior Insp. Mario Monilar indicated that Regner’s shooting was accidental.
It happened after Villamor went out of his house supposedly to pacify a quarrel between husband and wife Glenn and Teresa Caval, who live adjacent to the police officer’s place.
Using the handle of his firearm, Villamor allegedly pushed Glenn while asking the latter to go inside the house.
The firearm, however, went off, hitting Regner who was standing behind Villamor.
Policemen PO3 Jaime Appari and PO1 Norman Rupita, who were on board patrol car 016, rushed Regner to the city hospital.
Villamor, in an interview with reporters, neither confirmed nor denied hitting Regner. He just said he was not sure if it was his firearm that hit the victim. He said he will just wait for the result of the investigation.
Teresa, in a separate interview, however, claimed she was certain it was Villamor’s gun that hit Regner.
She said she saw when the firearm went off.
“I even told him there was no one around carrying a firearm,” she said.
She added that she almost fainted after the gun went off and she saw Regner fall.
Teresa said she and her husband Glenn quarreled after the latter and Regner continued to drink liquor even if the sun was already up.
She said Regner and Glenn had been drinking since 10 the previous night. They only stopped for a few hours and then resumed drinking. This irked Teresa, who confronted her husband. That’s when the quarrel began. (JST)
