Cop kills 1, wounds 2 in Christmas eve shooting spree

MANILA, Philippines – Like a deadly Santa Claus planting bullets instead of gifts, a Metro Manila policeman went on a shooting spree in Sampaloc, Manila on Christmas eve, killing one and injuring two.

Police Officer 1 Lloyd Fernandez, 30, assigned at the Regional Public Safety Battalion of Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig, is now detained at the Manila Police District Homicide section after he shot dead Roberto Solis, 26, and wounded Jay Valenzuela, 40, and Richard Zapanta, 32, in two separate incidents Saturday evening.

Fernandez refused to speak to the media in the detention cell, only crouching on the floor with his back to the jail bars and covering his head with a black jacket when cameras were turned his way.

Fernandez had apparently shot Solis dead after Solis’ family, on a drinking spree in front of their house on Loreto St, failed to give way to Fernandez’s motorcycle.

In a sworn statement to the police, Solis’ father, Alberto, said that they were having a drinking spree on the sidewalk, with a visitor’s car parked on the narrow street.

When Fernandez came along on his black motorcycle, he wanted the revelry and the car moved out of his way, creating a commotion that prompted Solis to come out from minding his family’s store.

Fernandez then rode his motorcycle a couple of feet forward, dropped it, pulled out his gun, and began shooting, hitting Solis thrice. He then sped away toward Tuazon St., Alberto narrated. Solis was rushed to the Ospital ng Sampaloc but he succumbed to the gunshot wounds.

Upon reaching an alleyway near Tuazon St., Fernandez apparently did the same to Valenzuela and Zapanta’s group, also having their Christmas eve parties outside their houses, narrated the MPD Station 4 chief, Supt. Rolando Balasabas, in a phone interview.

From what witnesses have told him, Balasabas said tempers rose as Fernandez tried to bully the group into giving way to him.  But the group allegedly refused to give way to Fernandez, saying “So what if you’re a policeman? Why are you passing here anyway?” The argument irked Fernandez enough to shoot at Valenzuela and Zapanta.

As the residents rushed the wounded to the Ospital ng Sampaloc, they came upon Balasabas and other Station 4 personnel out on mobile patrol and asked for help and complained about Fernandez. Balasabas and his team were able to catch Fernandez at the second scene of the crime, still arguing with the residents. They were all brought to the MPD Station 4 office.

Residents were so enraged at Fernandez, “It was as if they wanted to tear down our station,” Balasabas narrated. “They thought since we were all policemen, we were trying to protect him,” Balasabas recalled, in Filipino.

Alberto, having been alerted by neighbors that a shooter had been apprehended nearby, then proceeded to Station 4 and positively identified Fernandez as the one who killed his son.

“When [Solis’ father] was hurling curses and accusations at [Fernandez], he only bowed his head and remained quiet,” Balasabas said.

Asked if Fernandez seemed drunk when he was arrested, Balasabas said his speech was slightly slurry at the start. “He was probably hurrying home. He lived near Tuazon St. The people there know him,” Balasabas said.

On the way to the station in the patrol car, Balasabas said he had overheard Fernandez call his superiors asking for help, admitting he had shot people.

The police had also taken into custody Fernandez’ black motorcycle. He is now facing one count of homicide and two counts of frustrated homicide.