NBI man ends bar fight

He may not have started the fight but he certainly finished it.

An agent of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) was arrested at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday when he shot a man in a bar after a fight broke out between his group and that of the victim.

NBI Special Investigator 3 Chester Aldwin Celon ended up in the custody of the police after he shot 28-year-old Melford Balisi in the shoulder at Padi’s Point Bar and Restaurant in SM MOA, Pasay City. The victim was taken to San Juan de Dios Hospital where he remained under observation.

According to case investigator PO2 Catalino Gazmin, a check showed that Celon was indeed an employee of the NBI. He also presented an NBI identification card.

Based on the initial police report, the misunderstanding started when the victim and his companions turned hostile toward Celon who was with five men.

The footage taken by a closed-circuit television camera at the establishment showed two men from the other group approaching the table occupied by the NBI agent and his companions. This was followed by a heated exchange of words followed by a fist fight.

The footage also showed Balisi throwing beer bottles at the other group before he fell to the ground after being shot. The NBI agent was earlier seen trying not to get involved in the fight until he pulled out his government-issued gun, a .40-cal. pistol.

Celon refused to talk to reporters although he told investigators that he shot Balisi in self-defense. Recovered from him was his firearm and a magazine with 15 bullets.

The victim’s companions admitted to investigators that they instigated the fight but said that the agent should not have shot their friend.–Maricar B. Brizuela