Police shoot dead bolo-wielding man

CEBU, Philippines - Police gunned down a man armed with a bolo shortly after midnight yesterday at the North Reclamation Area.

The policemen said that they had no other recourse but to shoot Samuel Quinain Dotillos, 57, of Fairview Village, Talisay City, who was brandishing a bolo and tried to attack them.

The Mabolo Police were informed by tanods of barangay Tejero, who spotted Dotillos walking around their place brandishing the bladed weapon estimated to be about two feet long.

PO1 Noel Melecio Belicario, 33, of the Mabolo Police Station, responded to the alarm and spotted Dotillos walking along S. Osmeña Blvd.

He had the chance to accost the armed man when he reached a newspaper company’s building and asked Dotillos to drop the bolo.

Instead of heeding the request of the policeman, Dotillos reportedly attacked Belicario, who fired once to stop him on his tracks.

Dotillos, however, continued to charge forcing Belicario to move backwards. The arrival of PO2s Leo Gallego and Remos Goco, who were on board patrol car 010, did not stop Dotillos, who turned his ire on the two policemen by trying to hack them resulting to a damage on the window of the vehicle.

Gallego and Goco also fired shots at Dotillos felling him. Paramedics from the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation (ERUF) declared Dotillos already dead.

Sr. Supt. Patrocinio Comendador, director of the Cebu City Police Office, said that it was a legitimate encounter and his men did the right thing of gunning down Dotillos. Dotillos was hit in various parts of the body and was taken to the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes in Nivel Hills for autopsy.

His wife, Leticia, went to the funeral parlor yesterday morning to identify Dotillos. His remains have been brought to his residence.

Police recovered six empty .45 caliber shells and the bolo of Dotillos.

Police said that they did not get a chance to talk to the wife, but learned that the fatality had suffered a nervous breakdown.

Mpg Chief’s Statement

P/Supt. Armando Radoc, chief of the Mobile Patrol Division, yesterday defended his men involved in the killing of Dotillos.

Radoc said it was a legitimate encounter saying “his men were in danger and so they have to defend themselves from harm.”

“Initially kun motan-aw ka sa crime scene, ang kadtong tawo dunay armas unya nabutang sa risgo ang atong mga pulis, natural lang gyud ang pagdepensa sa ilang kaugalingon. Gani nabuak pa ang windshield sa atong patrol car,” Radoc said.

“In case ang CHR ug unsa nga investigating body mo-investigate walay problema na kay anytime willing atong mga tawo moatubang ana,” he added.

There are insinuations that the policemen overreacted to the threat of Dotillos by gunning him down. — Niña G. Sumacot with Ramil V. Ayuman/NLQ   (FREEMAN NEWS)