ILOILO City – A 19-year-old lad sustained a gunshot wound during an encounter with a barangay kagawad in Barangay Tabuc Suba, La Paz district early Sunday morning, February 9.
The victim identified as Dennis Osano from the district’s Barangay Gustilo was playing a game of hide-and-seek with friends near the bridge connecting barangays Gustilo and Tabuc Suba when the incident occurred at around 3:45 a.m.
According to Police Major Tangquilino Querubin, chief of Iloilo City Police Station 2 (PS2), barangay kagawad Kayot Jeruta, 64, was heading out for his morning jog when he noticed a group of individuals hiding in the area. Suspicious of their activity, Jeruta reportedly confronted them, prompting the group to run.
In an unexpected turn, Jeruta pulled out his snub-nose revolver, which accidentally discharged, hitting Osano in the right side of his back, Querubin said.
The victim was rushed to Western Visayas Medical Center in Mandurriao district, where he is currently being treated.
Querubin said Jeruta now faces charges of frustrated murder and a possible violation of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) gun ban./PN
