Cop, nephew questioned in Nicole death probe

MANILA, Philippines - A police officer and his nephew were invited by the Caloocan police for questioning in connection with the death of stray bullet victim Stephanie Nicole Ella last January.

In the seventh progress report issued on Monday, police said Senior Police Officer 1 Nomer del Rosario and his nephew, only identified as “Andok,” were implicated in the girl’s death.

Superintendent Jackie Candelario, the city’s deputy chief of police for operations, said they have “received generic (pieces of) information” that the two – who are Ella’s neighbors in Tala district – have guns and could be possibly involved in Ella’s case.

Del Rosario’s gun, however, did not match the bullet that hit Ella in the head.

“They are not suspects. They were just invited for questioning because of the text messages that we’ve received,” Candelario said, adding the two “were very cooperative.”

Ella, seven, was watching fireworks with her father when a stray .45 caliber bullet hit her in the head on New Year’s Eve. She was rushed to the hospital but died after suffering eight cardiac arrests.