MANILA, Philippines — The National Bureau of Investigation Lucena District Office has lodged a murder complaint against a member of Quezon Police Provincial Office over the killing of a senior citizen watching an illegal cockfighting game.
“That Police Staff Sergeant Richard Bolima be charged for murder. The killing of victim Jaime Garcia Matira was attended by qualifying circumstances of treachery and abuse of superior strength,” read the complaint filed on Dec. 9 but was sent to the media on Thursday.
In the complaint, NBI said Matira was watching the cockfight in Barangay Anastacia in Tiaong, Quezon province when eight police operatives of Tiaong Municipal Police Station conducted the raid.
NBI said gunshots were heard, causing witnesses to “scamper to different directions.” When the commotion stopped, Matira’s body was found with a gunshot wound in his back.
Based on its findings, NBI said the victim is already “a senior citizen who could no longer run faster because he was fat and old, unarmed when shot by Soriano in the back.”
Ballistics test showed that Soriano’s firearm caused a fatal shot on Matira, NBI added.
Also, official records from Tiaong police showed that the police station was on an official operation in the area when Matira was shot.
“Thus, it cannot be denied that he [Soriano] was at the scene of the crime when the incident happened,” read the NBI complaint.
“What started as a legitimate and official mission against illegal gambling went awry when Sergeant Soriano committed a grave abuse of authority and disregarded the life of an old helpless victim,” it added.
INQUIRER.net is waiting for the Philippine National Police’s reply to the complaint as of posting.