Ballistics test turns out negative on firearms

Senior Supt. Royina Garma, Cebu Citypolice  chief, says the results of the ballistics and paraffin tests are not conclusive.

The ballistics test done on the firearms of four police officers of the Carbon police precinct who were involved in an operation that resulted in the death of a four-year-old boy turned out negative.

“The ballistic examination and paraffin test as of this date, I was informed that both turned out negative,” Senior Supt. Royina Garma, Cebu City police chief, said in yesterday’s press conference.

But Garma said the ballistic and paraffin examination results are not conclusive evidence.

Marc Anthony Abatayo, father of slain four-year-old Bladen Skyler, questioned the legitimacy of the test results.

“Why did the (Carbon police) go to the crime scene instead of the Cebu City police homicide section?” he said.

He claimed that Carbon police repeatedly went to their house to look for the bullet that killed Bladen Skyler, but failed to find it.

“They went to our house for many times a day after my son was killed. They were looking for that slug but they did not find it. It was when I saw a slug in the room but I turned it over to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI),” Abatayo said in Cebuano.

The NBI is conducting an independent investigation on Bladen Skyler’s death and recommended a separate ballistic examination and autopsy.

“They (NBI) told us to wait for the result of the first autopsy conducted by the police. After that, they will conduct another autopsy,” Abatayo said.

Garma said paraffin tests and ballistic examinations are only corroborative evidences and are not done to make a conclusion.

Last Friday, PNP Director General Oscar Albayalde ordered the relief of the four police officers despite the results of the paraffin tests.

PO1 Wilbert Perez, PO1 Rey Van Dadula, PO2 Dennis Estrada, and PO3 Raydale Sardual are now assigned at the Police Regional Office (PRO-7) for debriefing while the investigation is ongoing.

Garma said they welcome the NBI investigation and promised to help. “We are not hiding anything,” she said.

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said the death of Bladen Skyler was an “accident.”

“I cannot comment on that (the relief of four Carbon police officers) but very clearly the shooting was not premeditated. I really feel sorry for the boy,” the mayor said.

Osmeña said he visited the boy’s wake and offered his condolences to the Abatayo family.

He also ordered the demolition of the shanty where the drug session took place.

The mayor said all allowances of the tanods in Barangay Ermita will be canceled again following reports that they were not available to help the police during and after the operation.