Caloocan jail warden sacked

Caloocan City jail warden Superintendent Emilio Culang was sacked yesterday following the fatal shooting of an inmate tagged as the triggerman in the rob-slay of a television cameraman in Tala, Caloocan.

"We now have Superintendent Mamerto Deloro as the city jail’s officer-in-charge," Inspector Richard Servano said. Deloro was Culang’s deputy.

Ernani Magnayon, the alleged gunman in the July 28 slay of RPN-9 cameraman Ralph Runez was shot by a jail guard inside the city detention facility before noon the other day.

Magnayon was talking to Jail Officer 2 Ricardo Zulueta inside the jail’s administration office when the guard accidentally shot the inmate.

The bullet hit him in the face and exited through the back of his head. No details on why his gun accidentally went off have been provided.

The inmate was first brought to the President Diosdado Macapagal Hospital, but was later transferred to the Manila Central University (MCU) Hospital, where he died at around 8:35 p.m.

Zulueta was immediately arrested. The Caloocan City police would be filing murder charges against the jail guard today.

Magnayon’s case was the second accidental shooting incident to take place at the Caloocan jail in less than a month.

On Sept. 24, Jail Officer 3 Enrique Guevarra was conducting a head count of the inmates when he accidentally shot prisoner Romeo Columbres in the leg.

Magnayon was one of four suspects in Runez’s robbery and homicide case. Two policemen — Inspector Bryan Limbo and PO3 Aristotle de Guzman — are also detained at the Caloocan jail.

The fourth suspect, Charles Galarce, whom Magnayon, Limbo and De Guzman allegedly tried to liquidate for backing off from the plan, has turned state witness.

The Runez case is set to be heard again today at the Caloocan City Regional Trial Court Branch 128, where an eyewitness is expected to again identify Magnayon as the triggerman.