Policeman faces homicide raps

CEBU, Philippines - A police officer assigned at the Punta Princesa Police Station is facing charges before the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office for shooting a street vendor.

The Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Homicide Section filed a homicide case against SPO2 Cresente Dacillo for killing Primo Gallego Jr., a resident of Sitio Upper Laguna Ciwac, Barangay Bulacao, Cebu City last Monday.

Melvin Ebrado, 41 years old and a resident of Sitio Upper Laguna said in an affidavit that on March 19, 2012 at around 5:55 p.m., he saw Dacillo shot the victim.

“I was about to buy feeds for my chickens at the store owned by a policeman whom I came to know as SPO2 Cresente Dacillo in Sitio Laguna, Barangay Bulacao when I saw a friend named Primo Gallego Jr. bought can of sardines at the said store,” the affidavit reads.

Ebrado added that he saw the respondent come out of the gate and called the victim, who then turned. Dacillo shot Gallego twice, according to Ebrado.

He said some of the respondent’s neighbors came out. But the policeman told them they will be included if they help Gallego. He added that he heard the wife of the respondent asking “Why did you kill him, he did nothing.”

Ebrado added that the vendor, who was not wearing a shirt at that time, did not have a gun.

Angelina Gallego, the mother of the victim, also denied Dacillo’s claim that her son had a gun.She told The FREEMAN that her son had no gun and he went to the place of the respondent only to buy sardines.

“Dili lalim ang iya gibuhat ngano iya gipusil diritso…akoa lang hustisya para sa akong anak.” (I want justice for my son’s death.)

She added that she wants a murder case and not homicide.

In the joint-affidavit of the police investigators, they said they responded to a shooting incident and found the male victim wearing only short pants.

They said they recovered a .38 caliber revolver with six live ammunitions underneath the victim’s body.

The police said they rushed the victim to the hospital where he died. They added that the respondent voluntarily surrendered to Pardo Police Station.

The respondent told them that he was forced to shoot the victim for self defense after the victim attempted to shoot him using a .38 caliber revolver.

“Ako ni atubangon, nana man ni ang ako lang self-defense to gikan ko, unya akong nakit-an si Gallego nga naglili sa amua ako siya gitawag pero nibunot man siya sa iyang pusil pero wala nakabuto,” he said. (I shot him because he tried to shoot me.)

He said if he had any intention to kill he would have done so at another place and not in front of their house. He added that he never knew the victim and they had no misunderstanding whatsoever.

Mario Ley Gidayawan, the handling prosecutor, said the inquest proceedings will continue today after the police failed to attach a diagram of the entrance and exit of the bullet wound. He told the police to get one.

He added that the respondent wanted to file the case immediately before the court but he said he has yet to determine this through the submission of more evidence. — (FREEMAN)