ILOILO City – Criminal charges were filed yesterday against an arrested police officer and two minors for the death of a 16-year-old boy in Barangay Rizal Pala-Pala, Zone 1, City Proper on Sunday, Oct. 15.
The 51-year-old Senior Master Sergeant Rodrigo Zerrudo Jr., a resident of the aforementioned barangay, and two 16-year-old boys face homicide charges before the City Prosecutor’s Office.
According to Police Captain Roque Gimeno III, chief of Iloilo City Police Station 1 (ICPS1), Zerrudo was tagged by witnesses as the one who shot the victim identified as “Mikee” amidst a brawl.
Zerrudo, assigned at the Nueva Valencia Municipal Police Station in Guimaras province, was detained at the ICPS1 after he surrendered on Sunday. He also surrendered his firearm, a .45 TS9 pistol (serial number TL T95209) and a magazine loaded with 17 ammunition.
“He surrendered to us after witnesses identified him. His status was arrested. We appreciate that he went to the police station to surrender and he also turned over his service firearm,” said Colonel Joeresty Coronica, Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) director, on Monday.
The two minors, meanwhile, are now at the custody of the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO).
The cop denied shooting the victim, but he admitted firing his gun as a warning shot when the two gangs passed by in front of his house.
Mikee and six other minors were having a drinking spree along the seawall around 12:10 a.m. when a group of 15 individuals approached them.
An altercation began when a member of the larger group allegedly threw an empty bottle, escalating tensions between the two groups.
In the ensuing chaos, an unidentified man, who was later identified as Zerrudo, drew a firearm and shot the victim./PN
