Father sues son for daughter’s death

NORZAGARAY, Bulacan, Philippines – The father of Lorena Cruz, the Dumagat girl who died on Christmas Day from a bullet wound, filed yesterday a case of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and illegal discharge of firearm against his son.

The case was initially reported as the first death from stray bullets during the holidays but was considered as a homicide when police investigators found lapses in the testimonies of witnesses.

Superintendent Joel Estaris, Norzagaray police chief, said Joel, the 26-year-old son, eventually admitted that it was a bullet from his air gun, converted to a.22 caliber, that killed his sister on Christmas Day.

He alleged that he accidentally dropped the gun when it went off. His nine-year-old sister, who was then playing nearby, was hit in the back. Although brought immediately to the East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City, she did not survive the operation.

Investigators saw it first as a case of stray bullets but later looked at the angle of homicide when witnesses gave different versions of the incident.

The case was used by the Department of Health for its campaign against indiscriminate firing on Christmas and New Year's Eve.

Estaris said the case was filed at the Bulacan provincial prosecutor’s office in Malolos and was accepted by fiscal Criselda Galzote.