Suspect in baby shooting charged

CHARGES were filed yesterday against the man who allegedly shoot a 1-year-old girl by accident in Minglanilla town last Sunday.

Candelario Cañeda was brought by police at the Cebu Provincial Prosecutors’ Office where he was charged with reckless imprudence resulting to homicide.

Cañeda opted not to undergo preliminary investigation, which prompted the prosecutor to elevate the charges against him before the court.

One-year-old Charice Opsima was hit and wounded by a stray bullet inside her residence in Upper Lipata, Minglanilla town, south Cebu, last June 10.

She was brought to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.

A bullet was removed from Opisima’s head, but she later died.

Meanwhile the Department of Social Welfare and Development gave P5,000 cash assistance to the victim’s family.

DSWD-7 Regional Information Officer Jaybee Binghay told Cebu Daily News the regional office is closely coordinating with Minglanilla social welfare office.

While the local office will mainly assist the victim’s family, the regional office is on standby on possible intervention that they can give apart from financial aid, Binghay continued.

Baby Charice was drinking Milo chocolate around 6:30 a.m. last Sunday in their home in Upper Lipata in Minglanilla when her 19-year-old mother Eralyn found her in a pool of blood.

Cañeda denied firing his gun, saying he was asleep when it happened.

The victim was the only child, she added./by Ador Vincent Mayol and Jessa J. Agua.