Rookie cop dies in freak accident

MANILA, Philippines - A rookie policeman was killed when his handgun went off as he was unloading it prior to entering a university campus in Quezon City yesterday afternoon.

Police Officer 1 Nazareth Tadeo, 23, died at the East Avenue Medical Center at around 3 p.m. Aside from a bullet wound in the jaw, Tadeo’s neck was pierced as he fell on a steel bar that protruded from a wall. 

Case investigator PO3 Jaime Jimena said Tadeo, who was assigned in Camp Crame, brought his girlfriend to the New Era University, where she reportedly studies, at around 12:18 p.m.

He said Tadeo accidentally pulled the trigger as he was unloading his service firearm to deposit it with the school guard since guns are not allowed on campus. A witness, however, told police that he allegedly saw Tadeo and his girlfriend quarrelling as the policeman was unloading his gun. Tadeo allegedly fired his gun but the bullet hit him in the jaw.