Pasig enforcer plays with gun, kills teen

MANILA, Philippines -  A friendly joke turned into a nightmare for a Pasig City enforcer when a .38 caliber revolver he was playing with went off and killed a teenager yesterday.

Jonathan Lorena, 32, a member of the Batas Ciudad Enforcement Office of Pasig City claimed he felt weak and broke out in a sweat after a shot rang out and Jay Arrogante, 18, fell to the ground bleeding.

“I just wanted to show off my handgun. I thought it was not loaded so I jokingly pointed it at them. It was an accident,” said Lorena, who cried and expressed regret when interviewed in his detention cell. Lorena said it was his fault.

Pasig City police chief Senior Superintendent Jesse Cardona said Arrogante was chatting with his friends in the Masagana compound in Barangay San Miguel when Lorena arrived at about 1:45 a.m. yesterday.

Lorena pulled out a .38 caliber revolver and playfully pointed it first at Marlon de los Santos, who was enjoying a soft drink, and pulled the trigger. “He told us that he has a gun but it was not loaded. He pointed the gun at me and pulled the trigger but luckily it misfired,” said De los Santos.

Lorena then pointed the gun at Arrogante’s chest and pulled the trigger. A shot rang out and the victim fell to the ground, bleeding.

Arrogante was rushed to the Pasig City Medical Center, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.

Upon receiving the incident report, Cardona dispatched police officers to arrest Lorena, who surrendered the weapon.