PNP chief Guillermo Eleazar yesterday said the results of ballistic examinations showed that the guns used to kill a minor and a drug suspect in an anti-illegal drugs operation in Laguna last June 16 belonged to two cops — a senior master sergeant and a commissioner officer.
Eleazar, however, declined to identify the two.
He said this was the result of the probe conducted by a task group led by Brig. Gen. Eliseo DC Cruz, Southern Tagalog Police Regional Office director, on ballistics examinations and cross-matching of 11 firearms submitted by the local police involved in the operation.
Killed were 16-year-old Jhondie Maglinte Helis and Antonio Dalit. They sustained two gunshot wounds based on an autopsy report of the Regional Crime Laboratory Office 4A and also tested positive for gunpowder nitrates during paraffin tests of their bodies.
Eleazar said the firearms used to shoot dead the two were .45 caliber pistols.
“The Regional Crime Laboratory Office 4A reported that the slugs specimen taken from the cadaver of Jhondie Maglinte Helis matched with a .45 (caliber) gun submitted by one of the operatives with a rank of Police Master Sergeant…A .45 pistol owned by a Police Commissioned Officer also matched a bullet recovered from Dalit’s body based on the same report of the RCLO 4A,” he added.
He said while the identities of the cops have been established by the task group, still to be determined is whether there was indeed an exchange of gunfire between the police operatives and Helis and Dalit.
Eleazar said investigators were also trying to find out if Helis was shot while he was handcuffed and called on anyone who may have witnessed the incident to shed light on what really happened.
“Let me remind the people that justice cannot be served if we remain silent,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency destroyed some P1.295 billion worth of assorted illegal drugs that have been seized in operations at the Integrated Waste Management Inc. in Trece Martires, Cavite.
This was the fourth destruction of seized illegal drugs with PDEA under Villanueva’s watch.
Police seize P1,441,600 worth of suspected dangerous drugs and arrested seven persons in buy-bust operations in Marikina and Pasig.
Brig. Gen. Mathew Baccay, Eastern police District director, identified the seven as Mark Gil Busa, 19; Abdullah Ebrahim, 20; Khalid Omar, 20; Dennis Garrovillas, 41; Liezel Hibay, 40; Lenden Guevarra, 33; and JB Ignacio, 28. — With Christian Oineza
