THE Philippine National Police (PNP) has identified the policeman who shot and killed a 16-year-old boy and his companion in an alleged shootout during a law enforcement operation in Biñan, Laguna, PNP Chief Guillermo Eleazar said on Wednesday, June 23, 2021.
Eleazar said the cop was identified following the conduct of ballistics examination and cross-matching of the slugs recovered from the bodies of 16-year-old Jhondie Maglinte Helis and Antonio Dalit.
“The Regional Crime Laboratory Office of Police Regional Office 4A reported that the slugs specimen taken from the cadaver of Jhondie Maglinte Helis matched with a cal. 45 gun submitted by one of the operatives with a rank of Police Senior Master Sergeant,” said Eleazar.
“A .45 pistol owned by a Police Commissioned Officer also matched a bullet recovered from Dalit’s body based on the same report of the RCLO4A,” he added.
Helis and Dalit each suffered two gunshot wounds after they allegedly engaged policemen in a gunfight. The police had tried to serve an arrest warrant against Dalit for illegal drug charges.
Eleazar said both Helis and Dalit tested positive for gunpowder nitrates during the paraffin test conducted on their bodies.
“However, while the identities of the policemen were already established, the missing part is the determination on whether or not there was indeed an exchange of gunfire between the police operatives and the two slain subjects of police operation,” he said.
“Another primary focus of the fact-finding investigation task group is looking into the allegation that Helis was handcuffed at the time he was shot,” he added.
The family of the victims rejected the police narrative of a shootout and claimed that Helis and Dalit were summarily executed.
However, Eleazar said they refused to issue their statements to the investigators of the PNP-Internal Affairs Service (IAS).
He said that it was concerning that there seemed to be many witnesses to the incident based on the audible chatting in the video uploaded on social media, but no one has come forward to give a statement.
Ten policemen have been placed under restrictive custody while the IAS is investigating the said incident.
They are Captain Fernando Lanestosa Credo; Senior Master Sergeant Mark Lester Brondial Yonzon; Ricky Sabatin Sacurom, Elmer Rojas Belaro and Rodrigo Villanueva Velarde Jr., all with the rank of Staff Sergeant; Felix Nico Rumbaoa Agudong, Leonardo Salteras Roldan, Gilbert Tonogbanua Florentino and Christopher Siguenza San Jose, all ranked Corporal; and Patrolman Rowie Carag Cadangan. (SunStar Philippines)