Teen accidentally killed during scuffle

AN 18-year-old boy with special needs was accidentally shot and killed during a scuffle between a policeman and a man apprehended for illegal cockfighting in Valenzuela City on Sunday, May 23, 2021.

Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Guillermo Eleazar said Edwin Cabantugan Amigo was one of three persons placed under arrest on Sunday.

Eleazar said one of the two others arrested had grabbed the firearm of a policeman, resulting in a scuffle. Amigo was hit when the gun went off.

Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian said the family of Amigo has expressed doubt on the police’s claim and requested that the National Bureau of Investigation conduct a parallel investigation on the incident.

Citing the report of the Northern Police District, Eleazar said a concerned citizen had complained about the illegal cockfighting along F. Dulalia Street in Barangay Lingunan.

Responding policemen arrested three people, including Amigo, and confiscated several items including fighting cocks and bet money amounting to P1,340.

“But as our personnel were effecting the arrest of the people involved, one of the three arrested suspects grabbed the service firearm of one of the policemen which resulted in a scuffle. The service firearm went off and hit one of the three suspects later identified as Edwin Cabantugan Arnigo,” Eleazar said in a statement.

Amigo was declared dead at the Valenzuela Medical Center.

Eleazar said the involved cop has a rank of Police Senior Master Sergeant.

“He (the cop) has already been placed under restrictive custody and disarmed as a matter of investigative procedure. I have directed the Internal Affairs Service to conduct a thorough investigation of the incident, specifically aimed at determining if there were lapses in the conduct of the operation. Part of my instruction is to finish the investigation at the soonest possible time,” he said.

“I would like to assure our kababayan of a quick and impartial conduct of investigation regarding this incident. Meanwhile, I ask all persons who witnessed the incident to help us shed light on what happened so that we can quickly and impartially resolve this case,” he added. (SunStar Philippines)