Boy wounded from cop's warning shot

CEBU, Philippines – A policeman assigned at Opao Police Station in Mandaue City is in trouble after he was engaged in an "illegal discharge of firearm" last Sunday evening in his place in Barangay Canduman.

PO3 Joel Osabel, warrant server of the Opao Police Station, is in hot water after a 15-year-old boy was hit with bullet that ricocheted after he fired a warning shot with the use of his service firearm when he responded to a theft alarm last Sunday evening.

Osabel, in an interview, said that Alex Destacamento, a neighbor, approached him last Sunday evening and was asking for his help after the latter told him his house was being burglarized by two of their neighbors.

Osabel said although his neighbor failed to have the burglary incident reported to the Canduman police, he then confronted his two neighbors who were responsible for stealing Destacamento's television set and DVD player.

But while he was in the middle of the confrontation of the two alleged suspects who were just his neighbors, whom the police have also accused as a notorious theft in their place, the father of one of the suspects arrived and defended his son.

"Akong gi-ingnan ang amahan  nga ayaw ug konsintera  imong anak, nisuway naman nuon og ataki nako busa wa koy nabuhat kung di magpasalba. Nidagan sad siguro to ang batan-on busa naigo sa iyang tiil," Osabel said.

Responding policemen of the Canduman Police Station failed to arrest Osabel as he was no longer there when they arrived.

SPO1 Tirso Plania of the Canduman Police said that the Ryan Medalle, the 15-year-old boy who was hit with the ricochet  together with his parents went to the police station yesterday and filed their affidavit.

In his report, Osabel told the police that he has no intent to shoot anyone when the incident happened.

Medalle said that he was just standing at the roadside last Sunday evening  when he suddenly felt an "ache" and when he came to check his left foot, he saw blood.

He told Plania he was not the target of Osabel but a certain "Tikoy" Posadas, their neighbor.

He  said that at first he was puzzled with what hit him and when he looked up he already heard from neighbors that Osabel fired a warning shot.

"Iya daw gitan-aw iyang tiil, nagdugo na iyang kumagko ug nagtuo siya nga naigo siya sa talsik sa semento human nga nagpabuto si Osabel," Plania said.

He then told the parents to secure a medical certificate for the boy if they wished to file a case against Osabel.