Policeman accidentally shoots fellow cop dead

A policeman was accidentally shot dead by a fellow policeman while responding to an armed person alarm along General Aviation Road in barangay Pajac, Lapu-Lapu City the other night.

P03 Rodrigo Ungria of Lapu-Lapu City Police Station died at the Mactan Doctors' Hospital after three hours due to massive blood loss.

Ungria sustained gunshot wounds in his left thigh when PO3 Roland Pogoy accidentally fired his 5.56 mm caliber M4 carbine rifle.

Police investigator Manolito Abellanosa, in his initial investigation, said that Ungria and Pugoy were conducting a hot pursuit operation against an armed person identified as Joseph Brent Chiong at a school in barangay Basak.

Upon their arrival at the area, the responding policemen spotted Chiong drinking with his friends along the road.

PO3 Ungria first approached Chiong while PO3 Pugoy acted as backup. But Chiong, of Cagudoy, barangay Pajac, resisted arrest and a scuffle between him and Ungria ensued, causing the two to stumble towards Pugoy.

As a consequence, Pugoy's firearm went off and hit Ungria in his left thigh. Pugoy immediately rushed Ungria to the Mactan Doctors' Hospital.

Pugoy was placed under camp restriction while Chiong is now detained at Lapu-Lapu City Police Station awaiting proper charges to be lodged against him today.

Ungria, a resident of PC Hills Lahug, Cebu City, left three young children. Pogoy will be criminally and administratively charged for the incident.

PO3 William Homoc of the Homicide Section told The Freeman that Pugoy claimed that "nasabod siya pag atras sa suspect while naka-trigger na siya daan since automatic pa gyud ang iyang rifle mao to nga nibuto". - Mitchelle P. Calipayan and Norvie S. Misa