THE Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) is still waiting for the results of the ballistic and paraffin tests conducted on the four of the seven members of Special Weapons and Tactics (Swat) team who were involved in a shootout with two robbers at Barangay Sum-ag, this city last week.
Senior Superintendent Francisco Ebreo, acting BCPO director, said on Wednesday, August 16, that the results of the tests will come out upon the availability of the ballistician and chemist at the Regional Crime Laboratory.
Ebreo said the crime laboratory has only one ballistician and chemist.
On August 10, a pedicab driver died while three other civilians, including the daughter of Isabela Mayor Joselito Malabor were injured after they were hit by stray bullets during the police shootout with two robbers in front of Sum-ag National High School, in the said village.
Killed during the crossfire was 70-year-old Delfin Ortiz, while injured were Estrella Claridad, 71, Walter Dojena, a seaman, and a Grade 9 student of Sum-ag National High School, who is Malabor’s daughter.
The crossfire came after suspects Armelle Espadon, 30, and his cousin Ryan Alib, 30, both residents of Barangay Canlandog, Murcia town fired at the Swat team during a brief chase following a robbery incident in Barangay Taloc, Bago City.
Espadon and Alib, who were remnants of Agustin Criminal Gang that engaged in gun-for-hire and robbery hold- up activities, were killed during the shootout.
Ruben Cuelo, 38, of Murcia town, a cohort of the two robbers, is facing robbery with homicide charges.
Ebreo said the firearms of the Swat team were surrendered to the BCPO but the members of the team were not relieved from their posts.
The Regional Internal Affairs Service (RIAS) is conducting a separate investigation on the incident, he added.
Ebreo said, “only the Scene of the Crime Operatives (Soco) can determine the trajectory of the bullets or if whose bullets hit the civilians." (GYM/SunStar Bacolod)