“Numerous cases have preceded the killing of an 18-year-old boy with autism spectrum disorder.”
The bereaved family of Edwin Arnigo is demanding criminal charges against the policeman who shot dead the autistic 18-year old in Valenzuela City last May.
Edwin, who was born with autism spectrum disorder, was wandering meters away from several men holding a tupada in Barangay Lingunan when four policemen came to accost the group.
Backyard cockfighting is one of the sugal-lupa or petty illegal gambling some mulcting policemen target routinely, milking for bribes from those apprehended to augment the cops’ “special risk allowance.”
The policemen involved, led by P/MSGT Christopher Salcedo belong to the Valenzuela City Police Station Intelligence Branch (SIB).
Apparently Edwin panicked when the cops grabbed those men in sight. A witness said one of the cops later identified as Salcedo himself held Edwin and then a gunshot was heard.
The poor autistic kid was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital from a gunshot wound in the body.
After more than three months, the Philippine National Police Internal Affairs Service (PNP-IAS) recommended Salcedo’s 40-day suspension from service as announced by PNP chief General Guillermo Eleazar.
Of course, news reporters were shocked by the IAS disposition of the case and were assured by Eleazar that the case will be reviewed further by the Discipline, Law and Order Division of the PNP Directorate for Personnel and Records Management.
Under the National Police Commission’s rules on filing cases against erring cops, the PNP chief has the final say on IAS’ recommendation.
I wonder if IAS seriously and reasonably considered the circumstances surrounding the gunslaying of Edwin who was not a participant in tupada and who could not have overpowered four policemen that warranted a fatal shooting.
Conversely, if the PNP-IAS resolved that Salcedo was not at fault for the fatal shooting and that had Edwin endangered the officer’s life, then why even penalize him administratively with a 40-day suspension in the first place?
If indeed that is the case, IAS and PNP should instead award Master Sergeant Salcedo with a Medal of Valor.
Numerous cases of this classic “nanlaban” narrative preceded Edwin’s tragedy, the impunity of police abuses.
In June, 16-year old Johndy Maglinte and Antonio Dalit were allegedly killed during an exchange of gunfire with 10 policemen in a buy-bust operation in Binan, Laguna.
Witnesses, however, said Maglinte watched cops execute Dalit and then he was tortured before being executed himself.
At least 10 policemen from Regional Police Office 4 are now reportedly in restrictive custody in connection with the killings.
Unfortunately, not too many cases get video-recorded like the Nuezca case in Tarlac and the Zinampan case in Quezon City, cases that went viral on the internet and shocked the world how cops perpetrate their “kill, kill, kill” mentality against defenseless civilians.
The PNP summarily dismissed P/MSGT Jonel Nuezca for shooting to death his neighbors — a mother and her son — over a petty kids’ quarrel last December.
Nuezca’s daughter and a neighbor video-recorded the horrific scene as the cop shot the woman and her son one after the other point blank.
Tarlac’s Regional Trial Court last week convicted Nuezca to life imprisonment for the two counts of murder.
A drunk P/MSGT Hensie Zinampan grabbed his female neighbor’s hair and shot her in the back of the head after they quarreled with the victim’s son.
The PNP has also summarily dismissed Zinampan while his criminal case is pending in court.
