CARCAR TRAGEDY
WHERE did the M16 rifle used by ex-policeman Joel Lopez to kill his wife, children, and then himself come from?
A day after Sunday’s tragic incident, the ownership of the gun remains a mystery for the police.
Police Regional Director Chief Supt. Jose Mario Espino said that the firearm’s serial number was defaced, making it difficult to verify its ownership. Lopez also had no recorded accountability of any government or privately owned firearm.
Espino said that the gun will be subjected to macro etching at the PNP Crime Laboratory in hopes that its serial number can still be traced.
“If it will be traced, then the owner of this firearm will be answerable why his firearm was with Lopez,” explained Espino.
The incident raised concerns on whether other dismissed policemen may also have high caliber firearms such as that recovered from the blood-bathed Lopez.
“In PNP, we have a directive that all dismissed policemen are required to surrender their [service] firearms,” explained Espino.
Lopez, 36, was formerly assigned at the Lapu-Lapu City Police Drug Enforcement Unit. He was dismissed from service in 2013 for serious neglect of duty after failing to attend a court hearing which caused the dismissal of the case and release of the drug suspects.
Lopez appealed to be reinstated but this was denied by Police Regional Office (PRO) according to Espino.
“That’s one focus of the National Police Commission to really review their case because we don’t want that those officers charged with serious neglect of duty can go back to service all because of technicality.
The ex-cop killed his wife and two children (aged 12 and 8) before shooting himself shortly before 6 a.m., Sunday, inside their house in Barangay Villadolid, Carcar City.
He was reportedly depressed because of the family’s dire financial situation.