Eleazar OKs dismissal of Valenzuela cop in PWD slay

Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, chief of the Philippine National Police, has approved the dismissal of a Valenzuela City police officer who shot and killed a teenager with autism during an anti-illegal gambling operation in May. On Tuesday, Eleazar ordered the removal of Police Senior Master Sergeant Christopher Salcedo from the service following a review of the case. “I have signed the order for the dismissal from the service of Salcedo for grave misconduct and less grave irregularity in the performance of duty,” he said. Salcedo, along with four other police officers, was administratively charged for the death of 18-year-old Erwin Arnigo on May 23. Arnigo, a person with disability (PWD), was killed in what police claimed to be a “gun scuffle,” but Arnigo’s family disputed this, saying he was afraid of cops. The PNP chief noted Arnigo should not have been arrested by the police in the first place. “Being a person with autism spectrum disorder, he could not have knowingly taken part in the illegal gambling activity.” —Dexter V. Cabalza