4 cops charged with murder for killing college student in pursuit operation

FILE PHOTO

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines – The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) district office here filed murder charges against four policemen, who were tagged as killers of a college student during a bungled pursuit operation against car theft suspects last July 10.

NBI agents led by Regner Peneza, NBI district head for Sarangani and General Santos, filed the formal complaints against Police Officer 2 Arnold Sua, PO2 Ariel Beldera, PO1 Roger Dequito and PO1 John Rey Daligdig before the City Prosecutor’s Office around 1 p.m. Friday.

Peneza said witnesses, including PO1 Alberto Alberto, one of the policemen involved in the pursuit operation, had issued sworn statements pointing to the accused policemen as the ones who shot dead Randy Quirante.

Alberto said members of the Lagao police station – also his unit of assignment – went on pursuit on board several police vehicles after receiving a flash alarm on a stolen motorcycle around 10 p.m.

A resident identified as Karen Nenteza said she was traversing Lagao when two unidentified men flagged her down and forcibly took her motorcycle.

Alberto said a few minutes into the pursuit operation, they saw two teenagers riding on separate motorcycles passing by Lagao. Since one of the motorcycles was similar to what Nenteza had described as the motorcycle stolen from her, the police chased them.

One of the motorcycle riders, later identified as John Rey Lapuz, a BS Criminology student of a private school here, yielded when a policemen onboard a patrol car fired a warning shot but Quirante, who was riding a Honda Wave, ignored the police, he said.

One of the four policemen – later identified as Sua – shot Quirante using his .9 millimeter service pistol. Quirante was hit and was forced to stop by the roadside upon reaching Buayan village, about 300 meters from where he and Lapuz were flagged down by the police.

Quirante was rushed to a hospital and later died of his wound there.

During investigation, one of the four policemen turned out to be positive for methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu, but his identity was withheld.

The NBI would later reveal that Sua was the policeman who tested positive for drugs.

Peneza said a separate charge for violation of the Dangerous Drugs Act would be filed against Sua.

He said the policemen’s failure to immediately bring Quirante to the hospital and the fact that they shot the victim in the back aggravated the cases against them. The NBI learned that the victim was just too scared to stop upon the police warning because he was then carrying a student driver’s license only.

“The victim’s life could have been saved if he was given immediate medical attention. His wound was not fatal that’s why he managed to drive 300 meters away from where they were flagged down. The fact is, binaril siya sa likod kahit walang masyadong threats sa buhay ng mga police officers (he was shot in the back even if he did not pose a threat to the lives of the police officers). This was highly uncalled for, there being no threats to their lives,” Peneza said.

The NBI official also criticized the Lagao Police Station for trying to mislead NBI investigators.

“We were made to believe that there were only four policemen involved in the pursuit operation. But we found out later that there were five. And one of them agreed to turn witness against his colleagues,” Peneza said.

Chief Supt. Charles Calima, Jr., Central Mindanao police director, said he has ordered an investigation on the apparent attempt of the Lagao police station to cover up the fatal shooting.

Calima said he has ordered Senior Insp. Jordan Santiago, the station’s chief, to explain why the investigation report named only four policemen, not five, as having joined the pursuit operation.