(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The ballistic examination conducted on the firearms used by three policemen in the killing of Grade 11 student Kian Loyd de los Santos during a Caloocan City drug raid showed that the slug recovered from the body of the victim belonged to Police Officer (PO) 3 Arnel Oares.
Oares, with Police Officers Jeremias Pereda and Jerwin Cruz, on Thursday attended the Senate investigation into last week's killing of de los Santos, 17, amid allegations they summarily executed the senior high student who they claimed was a drug courier.
The Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, led by Senator Panfilo Lacson, conducted the probe in response to the request of Senators Paolo Benigno Aquino, Risa Hontiveros and Joel Villanueva to investigate the killing amid the spate of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) of suspected drug suspects.
The victim's parents, Saldy and Lorenza, also attended the public hearing. Chief Inspector Amor Cerillo, Caloocan Police Community Precinct 7 commander, said that 'based on the ballistic examination, it was PO3 Oares who has the firearm, matched with the slug found in the body of Kian.
Oares declined to answer Senator Grace Poe when she asked if he was the one who shot de los Santos.'May I answer in the next hearing, he told the committee, saying he did not have a lawyer with him.
This prompted Lacson to say: 'This kind of demeanour will affect our view of you.
Info from social media The police claimed de los Santos was not the primary target of their operation, saying they were looking for a certain 'alias Negro.
But they enraged senators when they revealed that they were able to validate only through 'social media the alleged ties of de los Santos to drugs.
Relieved Caloocan police chief Chito Bersaluna claimed they recovered a cellphone that showed de los Santos' supposed drug dealings.
De los Santos had two gunshot wounds in the head, according to forensic expert Erwin Erfe, hired by the Public Attorney's Office, and Jocelyn Cruz, medical officer of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Pereda and Cruz declined to identify who killed de los Santos, invoking their right against self-incrimination.
However, they claimed that the person in the CCTV (closed circuit television) footage that they were dragging away was not de los Santos but their 'alpha or 'asset.
'He did not want to blow his cover. We're protecting him. He did not want anybody to learn that he was with policemen, Cruz said when Poe asked him why they were dragging a person away as shown in the CCTV footage.
But village officials and some witnesses said it was de los Santos in the video. Later on Thursday, Hontiveros turned over to the Senate three witnesses who had claimed de los Santos was killed by the police.
PNP Chief Ronald de la Rosa told lawmakers he had 'no order to intensify illegal drug operations.
'But the operating units were taking the cue. So, we just continue since Day 1 of the administration's campaign against drugs, he said.
De la Rosa also expressed support for Poe's proposal to require policemen to wear body cameras during drug raids.'I would like to stress that we agree with body cam. It will be beneficial to our operations to justify our actions.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) Crime Laboratory said on Wednesday senior high school student Kian Loyd de los Santos tested negative for gunpowder residue, belying earlier claims by Caloocan City police that the 17-year-old fired at authorities in a drug raid that claimed his life.
President Rodrigo Duterte Paraffin tests conducted on de los Santos showed an absence of gunpowder residue on his hands, officials said.
'Both hands of the cadaver do not contain gunpowder nitrates, stated a report by the crime laboratory.
Jane Monzon, PNP medico-legal officer, contested claims by the Public Attorney's Office (PAO) that Kian was shot thrice in last week's raid at Barangay 160 in Caloocan.
'There are two gunshot wounds in the head, one in the ear, and one in the back of the ear.
Both went out. The entry was on the left. The exit was on the right, said Monzon in a news conference.
'The first gunshot wound was slightly downward. The second was also downward, Monzon said on the trajectory of the bullets.
She said the teen's body had been embalmed when the PNP Crime Laboratory conducted an autopsy.
'Kian was already embalmed. We did not get his urine sample, she said.
Monzon said it was 'impossible for de los Santos to have been executed because there was no 'stifling in his body, which would indicate that he was shot in this manner.
Citing a report by Jocelyn Cruz, another medico-legal officer of the PNP, Monzon said Kian was shot twice both on the head.
'He was shot in the left ear then it came out in the right, Monzon said, refuting the PAO's findings that de los Santos was shot twice in the left and right ear.
Monzon also said de los Santos was shot from 'afar, with the distance between the top of the barrel of the gun and de los Santos' body being 'more than 60 centimeters, equivalent to two rulers. Monzon said this was no longer 'close range.
President Rodrigo Duterte expressed his condolences to the family of de los Santos. In remarks before the Philippine Air Force Dragon Boat Team at Malacanang, Duterte admitted there could be 'mistakes when policemen carry out legitimate operations against drug personalities.
He reiterated, however, that errant policemen would have to 'face consequences, if there was really foul play in the anti-drug operations, particularly in the arrest of de los Santos that resulted in his death.
'We can commit mistakes. That's why there are so many incidents. This thing about drugs, there's a ruckus now on de los Santos, Duterte said.
'I have expressed my condolences. If the family accepts it, good. If they don't accept it, fine with me, he added. Duterte reiterated his decision not to go to Kian's wake.
'The thing is, I will not go there. Because even if it is true, it is under investigation. Because if I go there, I put down the police, the president said.
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