Chase leads to boy’s death; Cop accused of shooting wrong target
Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Mon, 29 Apr 2019 09:00:50 +0000
A policeman chasing a drug suspect accidentally shot dead a six-year-old boy Sunday in Caloocan City.
The fatality was identified as Gian Hilbay who sustained a lone bullet wound in the head.
The suspect, Police Corporal Rocky delos Reyes, surrendered to Police Col. Restituto Arcangel, Caloocan police chief.
Police Major Celso Sevilla, commander of the Caloocan Police Community Precinct 5, said Delos Reyes was running after the drug suspect known only as “Bochok” at around 2:20 p.m. in Barangay 178, Camarin.
Sevilla allegedly opened fire, hitting Hilbay who was playing outside their home.
Jessa Hilbay, the victim’s mother, said she heard dogs barking. “But when I went outside, I saw my son already covered with blood,” she said.
The bullet hit Gian on the forehead and exited on the back of his head.
Jessa said that she sought help from her neighbors but only one man responded.
“They were all scared. They all closed their doors,” she told this reporter. “Only one man responded. I handed him my son. He called for a tricycle and we rushed Gian to the hospital.”
However, the boy was declared dead on arrival.
Elsa Montañez, Gian’s grandmother, was inside her room when the incident happened.
When she heard the commotion, she went outside and saw Jessa, her daughter, already carrying the bloodied Gian.
“I was looking for whoever shot him when I saw a policeman who was about to go onboard a motorcycle. He was trying to escape,” Elsa said.
“I knew he was a policeman. His slacks looked like it was part of a police uniform,” she added. “He was also wearing a jacket which looked like a police jacket.”
Montañez said that she and her husband ran after Delos Reyes to stop him from escaping.
“I was hugging him. I was asking, ‘Sir, why did you shoot my grandson?’” Montañez asked. “I was trying to wrestle away the gun that he was holding,” she added.
But Montañez was also shot on her left foot.
At the police station, Delos Reyes told colleagues that when “he felt that people were about to mob him, his only resort was to fire his gun.”
But witnesses denied Delos Reyes’ claim, saying that they were scared and were inside their home.
“How could they mob the police when they were inside their houses?” Montañez asked.
Delos Reyes declined to talk to reporters.
Jessa said her son, Gian, wanted to become a police officer. “He wanted to become a policeman. At school, he was a member of the Boy Scout,” Jessa said.
She made an appeal to the police officer.
“Just tell the truth. Admit it that it was your gun that killed my son,” she said. “I’ll move on from this though it hurts. I don’t know what to do. Everything was abrupt.” (Joseph Pedrajas)