Guard seeks inquiry into brother’s murder
A security guard whose half brother was gunned down in a police operation in Talisay City last Monday asked the Police Regional Office to investigate the five police officers involved in the case.
Samuel Juarez said the five Talisay City policemen barged into the house of his brother Pedro Labajo at 10 a.m. and shot him while he sat on the chair at least six times.
“Nakita gyud nako ang nahitabo kay diha ra man ko sa gawas sa balay. Grabe kaayo ang ilang gibuhat. Overkill gyud. (I saw what happened because I was just outside the house of my brother. What the police did was too much. It was really an overkill),” he told reporters.
The five policemen didn’t have a search warrant when they went inside Labajo’s residence in Barangay Manipis, Talisay City.
They responded to a call from Labajo’s wife who claimed that Labajo mauled and threatened her, Juarez said.
When the police arrived, Juarez said he was surprised to see the operatives shot the victim without any provocation.
Senior Supt. Rey Lyndon Lawas, deputy director for operations of PRO-7, immediately called Supt. Aileen Recla, Talisay City police chief, and asked her to submit a complete report on the incident.
Lawas said Recla told him that Labajo tried to engage the police in a shootout, prompting the operatives to fire back.
“That’s what they say, but the complainant (Juarez) here has another version. And so, we will have this incident investigated. We will look for other witnesses and see all the angles of the case,” Lawas said.
The Investigation and Detection Management Branch (IDMB) was directed to lead the investigation.
Cebu Daily News withheld the names of the five Talisay City policemen who have yet to respond to the accusations leveled at them.
Based on the report of the Talisay City Police Office, the operatives received information that Labajo was armed with a gun.
When they went to his house, Labajo reportedly fired his gun twice.
The policemen immediately fired back at the victim.
The 45-year-old Labajo sustained gunshot wounds on the body.
He was rushed to the Talisay City District Hospital but was declared dead on arrival by attending doctors.
Recovered from Labajo’s residence were one .45 pistol, one .22 rifle and several ammunition.
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
