SOCO: Bullet shells, slug don’t match policemen’s guns in Mindoro slay

The bullet casings and slug recovered from the scene where anticrime crusader Zenaida Luz was shot and killed in October did not match the guns used by two policemen arrested for allegedly killing her in Gloria town in Oriental Mindoro province three months ago, police said.

Luz, 51, head of the Citizens Crime Watch (CCW) in Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan) region, was gunned down on Oct. 9 in front of her rented apartment in Gloria.

Two of the four suspects were Senior Insp. Magdaleno Pimentel Jr., then assigned at the Provincial Public Safety Company, and Insp. Markson Almeranez, then police chief of Socorro town.

Pimentel and Almeranez were arrested following a brief gun battle with pursuing policemen from Gloria.

In a telephone interview on Monday, Senior Insp. Ruel Lito Fronda, Gloria police chief, said a report of the Mimaropa Scene of Crime Operatives (Soco) released to the court in late November showed that the seven shells and a slug found in the crime scene did not match the policemen’s guns.

The gun recovered from Almeranez was an unlicensed .45 cal. while Pimentel had a .380 cal. pistol registered to a woman who had reported the weapon “lost or stolen,” Fronda said.

Police are still tracking down another pair of motorcycle-riding gunmen, who witnesses saw at the scene aside from Pimentel and Almeranez.

Fronda declined to draw any conclusion on the ballistics results, but Luz’s partner and fellow CCW member, Richard Albert, said the findings supported a witness’ account that the officers only acted as “back up.”

“One of the witnesses said (Pimentel and Almeranez) were only there as lookout or back up [to the other suspects],” Albert said on Monday.

Jose Malvar Villegas Jr., CCW head and who stands as the family’s counsel, however, said the ballistics findings should not rule out the possibility that the officers fired the shots that killed Luz.

“They could have used different guns [to kill Luz], ditched them and used another [set of weapons] when they [engaged their fellow] policemen,” Villegas said.

“[We have] what we call circumstantial evidence. Why would they disguise [themselves]? Why would they shoot the [pursuing] policemen?” Villegas said.