CEBU, Philippines — The police justified that appropriate force was applied to neutralize the armed person who was killed after he reportedly shoot it out with cops inside the Archbishop Palace in Cebu City last Tuesday afternoon.
Abellana Police Station Chief Maria Teresa Macatangay told reporters in a press conference yesterday that if the cops who responded were lenient on Jeffrey Cañedo, 41, who suffered from different gunshot wounds after a brief encounter with the cops, there would have been more casualties.
Since there are reports that the man attempted to run towards the Archbishop Palma’s residence, about 200 meters away from where he was made to wait when he sought for religious counseling with the Archbishop.
“Our policemen just did their job in subduing. Had they not (done) it, possible daghan pa ang naangol, kay sa storya pa sa mga eyewitnesses modagan ta ni siya sa sulod sa Archbishop Palace, so napugnagn tungod sa panghitabo,” she said.
Members of the Mobile Patrol Group responded to the armed person alarm called by an archbishop’s staff member who spotted that Cañedo had a .38 caliber firearm.
Police Officer 1 Sheila May Estremo checked on Cañedo for his intentions but he instead retorted aggressively.
He reportedly ran for cover in the nearest sports utility vehicle parked in the area of the crime scene and pulled out his unlicensed .38 calibre firearm.
Accordingly, he was able to fire two gunshots before he was neutralized by cops who also took cover from nearby trees fronting the vehicle.
Macantangay said that after learning about what happened, she immediately informed the family and had them confer with the responding officers from the mobile patrol group.
Recovered from the crime scene were 20 empty shells of undetermined caliber firearm, his unlicensed .38 caliber firearm, four pieces of live ammunition and two pieces of empty shells inside the cylinder. Police also found six live ammunition inside Cañedo’s pocket.
Member of the Scene of the Crime Operations also took post-mortem fingerprint from the Cañedo, buccal swab, paraffin cast, and subjected his motorcycle for macro etching.
She said that it’s natural for the family to feel devastated about the news and that they made the father, Feliciano, a retired policeman, understand the force used.
“Naturally they have to engage and subdue the suspect to prevent further harm or damage to anyone, it is just unfortunate the incident it ended that way,” she said.
She said that as of yesterday, policemen had been detailed at Archbishop Palace.
A security escort will also be assigned to Palma when he arrives in Cebu until necessary.
Police Regional Office-7 Director Debold Sinas said that cops are also told to include the surroundings of Archbishop Palace for their patrol route.
Sinas reiterated once more that the incident is an isolated case.
Meanwhile, the Cebu clergy is untroubled by the recent bloody incident that transpired inside the Archbishop’s Palace.
Monsignor Joseph Tan, media liaison officer of the Cebu archdiocese, said people could not yet easily conclude that Cañedo had intentions to kill the archbishop.
Tan said the Cebu archdiocese said the local clergy seeks to promote sympathy to Jeffrey Cañedo, instead of condemnation.
Cañedo was insisting to see Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma at his residence on Tuesday for a counsel. But events turned tragic when the armed Cañedo refused to surrender his gun to the police and was later on killed in an encounter.
Tan, however, said there could be a possibility because Cañedo was reportedly in a different mental state.
“He (Cañedo) admitted (to his family of) hearing voices. He is not in his normal state already. He is not the Jeffrey that his family knew. It was a different Jeffrey yesterday (Tuesday). But we don’t condemn him and his family needs our sympathy,” Tan told reporters on Wednesday.
Following the incident, he said the archbishop does not feel threatened at all.
In fact, Palma has lamented that he could have helped Cañedo if he was here in Cebu.
Yesterday, Palma was still in Koronadal, South Cotabato for an ordination of a new bishop.
“Normally, all bishops in the country would gather if there is an ordination of a new bishop,” said Tan.
Moreover, Tan said the clergy also does not question the operation of the police because the staff present during the incident had witnessed that the police gave warning shots. And another staff also saw that Cañedo was armed.
Despite the circumstances, Tan said the archdiocese will not impose any change in the security measures. (FREEMAN)