Shooter seeks forgiveness for death of 4-year-old boy

MANILA, Philippines—The shooter who claimed to have accidentally shot four-year-old Ranjelo Nimer on New Year’s Eve has begged for forgiveness from the boy’s parents, admitting he was out to exact revenge on someone who beat him up earlier where Nimer and his family lived.

Wearing a yellow shirt and cream pants, Emmanuel Janaban appeared at the Mandaluyong Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday, with a straight face and begged for forgiveness from the victim’s parents, but maintained that he did not mean what he did.

“I ask for forgiveness for what I have done, but I really did not mean it. People in the area saw me hug the child before he was rushed to the hospital,” Janaban told reporters.

He added that he would face the charges, noting that he did not leave or attempt to escape as he waited for the police to come down to arrest him.

Janaban also admitted that he was heavily drunk when he encountered Nimer on New Year’s Eve.

“I was really drunk when I did it. It was an accident. I was walking by and the boy was there. I slipped, accidentally hit the trigger, and then the boy dropped to the ground,” he said.

Janaban was carrying an improvised shotgun or sumpak and said he was on his way to exact revenge on another man.

“I was about to get revenge on someone who had beat me up recently. I had the incident placed on the police blotter, but nothing happened. The person still continues to laugh at me,” he said.

“The boy really was not my target. I also have a child that small so I cannot do it to him,” Janaban added.

Janaban is now currently detained at the Mandaluyong police headquarters as he waits for the resolution of the case.

According to Nimer’s parents, the boy asked permission to go to another bathroom outside their house on the night of Dec. 31, but he encountered Janaban.

His parents thought the boy did not have serious injuries and were shocked to see he had multiple gunshot wounds.

Doctors at the Mandaluyong Medical Center pronounced Nimer dead a few minutes after he was rushed there.