DOJ's Aguirre sets probe into killing of 17-year-old boy

MANILA, Philippines — Amid outrage over the killing of a 17-year-old by cops, the Department of Justice directed its branch, the National Bureau of Investigation, to investigate the incident.

Kian Lloyd delos Santos, an 11th grade student, was shot dead by cops in Caloocan City on Wednesday when he was suspected for carrying a sachet of shabu, or metaphetamine hydrochloride, in an operation under the government's brutal war on drugs. The incident was caught on camera, belying the police report that he fought back when accosted.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano II, one of President Rodrigo Duterte's closest allies and longtime lawyer, directed state investigators to build up a case against those behind Delos Santos' violent death.

Four police officers of the National Capital Region Police Office involved in the killing of the boy were relieved following the incident. These were Chief Inspector Amor Cerilo, Police Officer 3 Armel Oares, Police Officer 1 Jeremias Pereda and Police Officer 1 Jerwin Cruz.

Thousands of alleged drug suspects have been killed in police anti-narcotics operations, and thousands more by masked gunmen in incidents labeled as "deaths under investigation" since Duterte launched the crackdown in June last year.

The past week saw the deadliest days in the drug war, with at least 81 people killed in various areas especially in Metro Manila where 25 were slain and in Bulacan where 32 perished in simultaneous raids.Members of the Senate, among whom are allies of Duterte, also expressed a rare outrage at the death of the young Delos Santos. They called for a congressional inquiry into the incident.

The hashtag #JusticeForKian, meanwhile, has trended on Twitter nationwide as Filipinos around the world urge an end to the violence.

Duterte, however, was not alarmed with the killings in Bulacan, even praising the result of the operations. "That's good. If we can kill another 32 every day, then maybe we can reduce what ails this country.

READ: Death of boy, 17, jolts senators to speak against killings

Critics of the drug war have long warned against the possible effect of presidential support for violence in the conduct of operations. They said Duterte's rhetoric and promise of pardon for cops embolden authorities to seek swift justice in neutralizing targets yet to undergo due process.