SAN JOSE CITY – Police shot dead a man after he tried to lob a grenade to a crowd in barangay Abar First, San Jose City on Tuesday.
The suspect was identified as Joselito dela Cruz, 49, a resident of Zone 8 Pabalan, barangay Abar Primero, here.
Dela Cruz was reportedly drunk when some residents saw him holding a grenade he found while installing a water pump of his neighbor at about 11:00 a.m., investigation showed.
While village chair Reynaldo Antonio was not around that time, Bantay Bayan head Eduardo Sorza facilitated a phone conversation between the two. Antonio asked Dela Cruz to just wait for him inside the barangay hall.
Tension turned high even as officials left the barangay hall and villagers started to troop to the vicinity. Dela Cruz reportedly became uneasy which prompted Sorza to call the police who then responded immediately.
Supt. Sidney Villaflor, city police chief, said the Dela Cruz’s 14-year-old daughter was initially asking his father to surrender and turnover the vintage grenade to some barangay officials. However, she failed to persuade her father.
“Elements of this station tried to negotiate with the suspect to surrender the said grenade but after 30 minutes of negotiation, suspect tried to pull the pin of the grenade,” Villaflor said.
“From the distance, makikita mo talagang agitated siya , namumula, labas-masok, salita ng salita although hindi maintindihan,” Villaflor said. He was 15 to 25 meters away from the barangay hall.
It was Villaflor who shot the man on shoulder and then on the head.
He said that based on their assessment, no less than ten people would be killed and scores will be hurt if the grenade will explode in the area.
He added that Dela Cruz attempted to lob the grenade to the crowd across the highway. “That was then he was shot (by Villaflor).”
“So what he’ll do next? Why did he remove it? It was really a judgment call on my part because within a split second, he can finally remove the pin and lob to the bystanders,” the city police chief said.
The family of Dela Cruz vowed to take legal action against the police.
The suspect was identified as Joselito dela Cruz, 49, a resident of Zone 8 Pabalan, barangay Abar Primero, here.
Dela Cruz was reportedly drunk when some residents saw him holding a grenade he found while installing a water pump of his neighbor at about 11:00 a.m., investigation showed.
While village chair Reynaldo Antonio was not around that time, Bantay Bayan head Eduardo Sorza facilitated a phone conversation between the two. Antonio asked Dela Cruz to just wait for him inside the barangay hall.
Tension turned high even as officials left the barangay hall and villagers started to troop to the vicinity. Dela Cruz reportedly became uneasy which prompted Sorza to call the police who then responded immediately.
Supt. Sidney Villaflor, city police chief, said the Dela Cruz’s 14-year-old daughter was initially asking his father to surrender and turnover the vintage grenade to some barangay officials. However, she failed to persuade her father.
“Elements of this station tried to negotiate with the suspect to surrender the said grenade but after 30 minutes of negotiation, suspect tried to pull the pin of the grenade,” Villaflor said.
“From the distance, makikita mo talagang agitated siya , namumula, labas-masok, salita ng salita although hindi maintindihan,” Villaflor said. He was 15 to 25 meters away from the barangay hall.
It was Villaflor who shot the man on shoulder and then on the head.
He said that based on their assessment, no less than ten people would be killed and scores will be hurt if the grenade will explode in the area.
He added that Dela Cruz attempted to lob the grenade to the crowd across the highway. “That was then he was shot (by Villaflor).”
“So what he’ll do next? Why did he remove it? It was really a judgment call on my part because within a split second, he can finally remove the pin and lob to the bystanders,” the city police chief said.
The family of Dela Cruz vowed to take legal action against the police.
