BACOLOD City – A policeman faces criminal and administrative charges for firing at two civilians in Barangay Villamonte.
Police Officer 1 Ely Agonace, 26, of Barangay Vista Alegre may also be charged with violation of the election gun ban.
Agonace shot two men he had a traffic altercation with on Circumferential Road in Villamonte around 10:30 p.m. on Thursday, a Police Station 4 report showed.
Agonace is a member of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 1st Company based in Alimodian, Iloilo.
According to Agonace, he only shot Edgar Marinog and Mario Lazaga for “self-defense.”
Marinog sustained a gunshot wound on the left shoulder and sought treatment at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital.
A fired bullet from Agonace’s .9mm firearm also hit and damaged the right side of the windshield of a Columbia Marketing canter truck.
Agonace’s gun was confiscated. Five fired cartridges and an unfired one were recovered from the shooting site.
Investigation into the incident is ongoing.
According to Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) head Senior Superintendent Francisco Ebreo, their investigation will be fair and thorough.
There will be no cover-up, assured Ebreo, adding that they will not condone any irresponsible act of police officers.
BCPO spokeswoman Senior Inspector Armilyn Vargas said Police Station 4 will file the charge for violation of the election gun ban.
The Regional Internal Affairs Service, on the other hand, will file the criminal and administrative charges, said Vargas. (With a report from the Philippine News Agency/PN)
