Cop shoots dead a mother and her son in Tarlac

Paranaque cop Cpl. Jonel Nuezca looks at the CCTV camera before shooting dead a mother and her son in Tarlac.

MANILA, Philippines — A police officer assigned in Parañaque City shot dead his two neighbors, a mother and her son, in Paniqui, Tarlac.

The Tarlac police, in its report, identified the suspect as Police Senior Master Sergeant Jonel Nuezca, 46 years old and assigned at the Parañaque City Police Crime Laboratory, and presently residing at Barangay Cabayaoasan in Paniqui.

Initial investigation showed that the suspect arrived in the house of victims Sonya Gregorio, 52, and Frank Anthony Gregorio, 25, and after a brief confrontation, shot them point-blank using a 9 mm firearm at around 5:10 p.m. Sunday.

Police said the suspect fled the crime scene onboard a motorcycle after the incident. However, a video of the incident made the rounds of social media and has now become viral, showing the suspect’s face. Police immediately launched a hot pursuit operation to catch the fleeing suspect.

At around 6:19 p.m. on the same day, the chief of police of Rosales Municipal Police Station (MPS) in Pangasinan called the Paniqui Municipal Police Station informing that the suspect had surrendered at their station with his issued firearm that was used in the crime.

Personnel of Paniqui police then proceeded to Rosales MPS to pick up and transfer the suspect to their station.

Confrontation over right-of-way, ‘boga’

According to Lt. Col. Noriel Rombaoa, chief of Paniqui MPS, the shooting incident happened after a confrontation between the suspect and the victims over the firing of a “boga,” a noisemaker usually made of PVC pipe or bamboo for revelries.

“Bago ‘yung pamamaril, nag-ugat ito sa pagpapaputok ng boga malapit po sa place ng bahay ng mga biktima kasi itong suspect po at mga biktima ay magkapit-bahay lamang. So itong suspect natin ay pumunta doon sa bahay ng biktima para sitahin ‘yung nagpapaputok then nadatnan niya doon ‘yung isang biktima at nagkasagutan sila, ‘yung lalaki,” he said over ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo on Monday.

(Before the shooting, there was someone who used boga near the place of the victims’ house. The suspect and victims are neighbors. So the suspect went to the house of the victims then he saw one of them, the male one, and they had a confrontation.)

It wasn’t clear if it was the victim, Frank, who shot the “boga” that triggered the fight.

Rambaoa said the suspect’s child and the female victim also had a confrontation prior to the incident.

“Parang nainsulto siguro so hanggang sa nagkasagutan ‘yung anak niya tsaka ‘yung matandang biktima, ‘yung babae, so doon na nagtrigger. Siguro nawindang ‘yung isip niya, doon niya pinaputukan ng baril itong mga biktima,” he added.

(Maybe he felt insulted. His child and the elderly victim also had a confrontation so that was when he was triggered to use the gun. Maybe his mind went blank and that’s when he shot the victims.)

Rombaoa also said that the victims and the suspect are involved in a land dispute regarding right of way, as the house of the victims are located behind the house of the suspect.

Police are already preparing a complaint for two counts of murder against Nuezca. Rombaoa said the Philippine National Police – Internal Affairs Service will also launch a motu proprio investigation for an administrative case.

EDV