Slain soldiers in Jolo incident with cops bore gunshot wounds to the back

MANILA, Philippines –  The Army Intelligence officers killed in Jolo, Sulu by policemen sustained gunshot wounds to their backs, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Tuesday.

“The ballistic report clearly indicated that the shells and slugs found at the scene of the crime matched with the firearms of the police officers involved, and that the bullet wounds were mostly on the back of the body, with one soldier sustaining eight wounds,” Guevarra said.

Guevarra’s statement was based on the initial report submitted to him by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) that examined the crime scene and conducted an autopsy on three of the four victims.

The bullet wounds of the soldiers, Guevarra said, were in the “back and extremities…All of them sustained bullet wounds on their backs.”

The four Army intelligence agents who died in the shooting incident were identified in reports as Maj. Marvin Indammog, 39; Capt. Irvin Managuelod, 33; Sgt. Eric Velasco, 38; and Cpl. Abdal Asula, 33.

He added that NBI initial report also contained the accounts of 10 witnesses, the forensic findings of the medico-legal and ballistic experts, and the affidavits of the family members of the deceased Army intelligence officers.

Guevarra said it is possible that criminal complaints will be filed before the Department of Justice “very soon.”

“Unless the NBI intends to submit a supplemental report, I expect that a criminal complaint will be filed very soon with the DOJ,” he said.

The Army intelligence agents were allegedly killed by nine policemen on the afternoon of June 29 in Jolo, Sulu. The police officers were immediately relieved from their posts. [ac]

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