THE 17 police officers charged by the National Bureau of Investigation for murder in connection with the killing of Batangas-based activist-couple Ariel and Ana Mariz Lemita-Evangelista in the “Bloody Sunday” operation in Calabarzon last year claimed they did not fire their guns during the operation.
The police officers, members of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG), submitted their counter-affidavits in response to the murder complaints yesterday to the Department of Justice.
They said the autopsy of the remains of the Evangelista couple showed they sustained gunshot wounds that were consistent with 5.56 mm firearms. However, they said none of them were armed with the said type of firearm.
“None of us carried a 5.56 caliber firearm during the operation as we were armed only with our standard issued 9 mm pistols,” they said.
To bolster their claim that they did not fire their service firearms during the operation, the respondents cited a report from the Scene of the Crime Operatives that no bullets or shell casing from a 9mm were recovered in the area.
Ariel sustained gunshot wounds in his heart and lungs while Ana Mariz suffered gunshot wounds on her heart, lungs, and liver.
The police earlier claimed the couple and seven other activists killed in the “Bloody Sunday” operation resisted arrest and fought back, prompting them to return fire. Police also linked them to the communist movement.
Forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun who conducted an examination on the victims said they “were really shot to be killed,” adding all have “shots in the chest area.”
