Guard faces charges for death of minor

A security guard who accidentally killed a minor after his shotgun went off was indicted for reckless imprudence resulting to homicide.

Provincial prosecutor Pepita Jane Petralba approved the indictment of  Tito Melecio Lofranco before the Regional Trial Court and recommended an P80,000 bail for his temporary liberty.

Petralba, however, dismissed the case for obstruction of justice against the officials of the security agency where Lofranco is employed for lack of merit.

Lofranco’s firearm accidentally went off and hit Regene Dagatan causing his death.

Dagatan was following a ball that rolled toward the guardhouse of Cherry Rose Farm in barangay Tayud Consolacion in the afternoon of March 26 when Lofranco’s shotgun, which was placed against the wall fell and accidentally discharged.

Investigating prosecutor Jay Paradiang found probable cause to indict Lofranco of the crime for reckless imprudence resulting to homicide in relation to child abuse because of his negligence in handling his firearm.

The Consolacion police charged Francisco Alesna, Sr., Esperidion Momo, Rosaleo Alesna Lofranco and Manolito Sato, operators of the agency where Lofranco is employed, for alleged obstruction of justice for failure to turn over the shotgun.

However, the prosecutor ruled that there is no basis to indict the respondents of the crime because their failure to turnover the evidence to the police was because of the police failure also to tell them to do so.

The police claimed that it is standard operating procedure to turnover the evidence of the crime. But, Paradiang said there is no written rule on it.

Paradiang added that the respondents turned over the shotgun to the investigating prosecutor unaltered when told to do so. According to Paradiang, this is enough proof that they do not have any intention to obstruct the investigation of the case. — Fred P. Languido/QSB