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BY MAE SINGUAY
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Thursday, January 26, 2017
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BACOLOD City – A key witness was planning to recant an affidavit implicating two men in the fatal robbery of a department store on Locsin-Luzuriaga streets, Barangay 13 last Christmas.
On Tuesday evening, Byron Baccaro was killed.
Baccaro, 32, was shot to death in Barangay Granada, according to Police Station 1 commander Senior Inspector Eugene Tolentino yesterday.
While the police have yet to identify the attacker, suspicions that the killing had something to do with the Christmas robbery started clouding the case.
Baccaro, a resident of Barangay 35, executed an affidavit that Police Station 1 used in filing robbery with homicide, murder and frustrated murder charges against the suspects in the JDS Mindoro Enterprises Corp. burglary.
Charged before the City Prosecutor’s Office on Jan. 17 were Jayson Sumalangcay of Barangay Granada, Marlon Famucol of Barangay Alijis and three John Does.
Sumalangcay was a dismissed police officer while Famucol was a former Bacolod City police officer currently detailed in Camp Crame, the Philippine National Police national headquarters, in Quezon City.
A Chinese man (son of the establishment owner) and a security guard were killed, while three others were wounded when a gunman barged into the store and fired at people inside. Some P1 million cash was also taken.
Earlier, Tolentino said a “star witness” led the police to the suspects. He was referring to Baccaro.
Days before he was killed, Baccaro disclosed in a television news report that he was retracting his affidavit that implicated Sumalangcay and Famucol.
According to the report, Baccaro will file an affidavit of recantation, and he claimed that Tolentino and Superintendent Luisito Acebuche, head of the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office, asked him to execute a sworn statement against Sumalangcay and Famucol in exchange for money.
Tolentino and Acebuche denied the allegations.
Tolentino claimed he was informed that Baccaro was at the Hall of Justice on Monday with Famucol and a female officer from Police Station 8.
Senior Superintendent Jack Wanky, the newly installed officer-in-charge of the Bacolod City Police Office, said it was unfortunate that the main witness was killed.
But Wanky believed Baccaro’s death will not weaken the case.
Police have several other witnesses and were working to produce more witnesses and evidence, he said.
Those implicated in the crime were possibly the ones who attacked Baccaro, Wanky said, adding that someone could be forcing Baccaro to retract his statement.
Nevertheless, Wanky said he will investigate the officers Baccaro mentioned to give them a chance to clear their names.
It was impossible for the police to influence Baccaro, especially that the witness was not in their custody, the city police chief said.
Tolentino claimed they asked Baccaro if he wanted to be placed in police custody, but the witness refused./PN
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