A jobless man allegedly involved in a number of robbery and theft cases was killed after being shot while trying to evade arrest in the wee hours of the morning in Caloocan City on Monday.
The police identified the victim as Daniel Bautista, 24, a resident of Ilang-Ilang Street in Tala, Malaria, Caloocan City. Police reports showed the incident started when a concerned citizen reported to the police a commotion near Bautista’s residence around 12:30 a.m. Sunday.
When policemen and several barangay (village) watchmen went to the area, they saw Bautista, armed with an improvised gun, shouting on Ilang-Ilang Street. When he saw the responding team, Bautista pointed his improvised gun at them, rushed inside the house of one of his neighbors, and shouted at the team, “You won’t catch me alive.”
One of the barangay watchmen later followed Bautista inside the house and tried to disarm him, all the while while trying to drag him out of the house. Eventually, policemen got a clear view of the victim and shot him in the body, killing him instantly. The barangay watchman, who was also injured in the incident, was rushed to Tala Hospital for treatment.
Investigators recovered from Bautista his improvised gun and an ice pick. The victim’s parents told investigators that their son had “habitually created trouble” inside their house by beating up his father and in the community.
The couple, who waived their right to have their son autopsied, refused to file charges against the policeman who shot him. They also said they had heard rumors that their son was involved in robbery cases.—Nathaniel R. Melican