Mandaluyong shooting: A sad case of miscommunication?

Police cordon off the crime scene around the corner of Shaw Boulevard and Old Wack Wack Road (Photo by JUSTIN PUNSALANG / Radyo Inquirer)

At around 10:20 in the evening of Thursday, an argument ensued between two groups at a construction site near Barangay Addition Hills in Mandaluyong that resulted in the killing of two people and injuring two others.

Jonalyn Amba-an and her live-in partner Eliseo Aluad had an argument with the group of a certain Abdurakman Alfin. Witnesses said during the altercation, they heard gunfire hitting Amba-an first. Alfin reported the incident to the Bantay Bayan of Barangay Addition Hills while his companion Salam Abdul Majid left the scene but came back with a firearm of unknown caliber.

The other people from Aluad’s group tried to save their injured companion by using the vehicle to take them to the hospital.

A chase however, ensued between the white Mitsubishi Adventure of Aluad’s group and the vehicle of Barangay Bantay Bayan or the community watchmen where the driver, identified as Gilberto Gulpo who is currently at large, was shooting at the other vehicle.

Blood on the road shows the aftermath of the shooting incident at the corner of Shaw Boulevard and Old Wack Wack Road in Mandaluyong City on Dec. 28, 2017. Two people died in the incident, while two others were reported wounded. INQUIRER.net / TETCH TORRES-TUPAS

One of the survivors, Mhury Jamon said it was the community watchmen who shot and hit their companion.

“Lumapit pa yung dalawang tanod sa sasakyan namin pinapaputukan kami,” Jamon said.

(The two community watchmen approached our vehicle while continuously firing at us.)

Amba-an and a certain Jomar Hayawun were killed in the incident, while Aluad and Danilo Santiago were injured. The two remain in critical condition at the Mandaluyong City Medical Center.

“Pagdating ng mga pulis, nawala yung mga tanod. Nagpaputok yung mga pulis,” Jamon told reporters.

(When the police came, the barangay tanods disappeared. The police then fired at us.)

He said the police wants them to step out of the vehicle but they cannot because their companions were shot and bleeding to death inside the vehicle.

“Sumisigaw kami na pasyente ang dala namin pero hindi kami pinapakinggan. Pinadapa lang kami ng mga pulis,” Jamon said.

(We were yelling that we are with a patient but they did not listen. The police told us to stay on the ground.)

He said the police issued a warning that if they will not alight the vehicle, they will be fired upon.

Jamon said he and two others eventually stepped out of the vehicle. Only Jonalyn Amba-an, Eliseo Aluad and two companions stayed inside prompting the officials to open fire.

“Yung mga pulis ang nagpababa sa aming lahat. Kaya nagpaputok ng husto yung mga pulis kasi akala ayaw bumaba yung natitirang kasama namin sa sasakyan. Syempre, pulis, hindi bumaba ang subject, puputukan talaga pero hindi nila alam na hindi makababa,” Jamon said.

(The police asked all of us to alight the vehicle. They fired at us because they thought our colleagues are hiding something inside. The police, when they see the subjects not following orders, said they will open fire. But they did not know the subjects really cannot go down.)

National Capital Region Police (NCRPO) chief Director Oscar Albayalde said no firearms were recovered from the vehicle of the victims.

Albayalde said the police were fed with the wrong information by the barangay officers.

“Hindi natin masisi, siyempre, yung ating mga pulis doon na initial na thinking nila, may talagang armado,” he said. “Kasi there was a shooting incident and ‘yun yung fineed ng mga barangay sa kanila. Armado yung nasa Adventure.”

(We cannot blame our police officers for initially thinking that there really was someone armed inside the vehicle. There was a shooting incident and the barangay told them that there was an armed person in the Adventure.) /jpv

RELATED STORIES
LOOK: NCRPO chief at scene of deadly Mandaluyong gunplay
Mandaluyong police chief, 10 men relieved after deadly ‘mistake’