No gunpowder residue on cop who ‘shot self’

CEBU, Philippines - Paraffin tests conducted on Police Officer 1 Heidi Garcia and Police Officer 1 Cyrelle Marie Bayate have tested negative, confounding investigators who are seeking to establish if Garcia indeed killed herself or that another, possibly Bayate, did it.

Upon learning this, Senior Superintendent Noli Romana, Cebu City Police Office director, said that he would personally look into the matter, assuring Garcia’s and Bayate’s family that justice would be served.

 “I will personally look into it, I will conduct a re-enactment sa lugar mamaya, para tinginan ko kung ano pang ebidensya ang dapat naming hanapin. I promise the family that justice will be served,” Romana said.

Garcia allegedly committed suicide last Friday inside the house of Bayate along Ascension Street, Barangay Sambag I.

Bayate, who is assigned at the Parian Police Station, told homicide investigators that Garcia took her gun while they were inside her (Bayate) room in their house on Ascencion Street, Cebu City.

Garcia allegedly shot herself in the left chest, the bullet exiting her back.

Medico Legal Officer Benjamin Lara, who autopsied Garcia, said she suffered a gunshot wound fired at close range in her left chest.

Garcia’s left lung and heart were damaged by the bullet, resulting to her death.

Both Bayate and the slain policewoman were made to undergo the paraffin test, supposedly to determine who between them fired the gun that killed Garcia.

But Senior Inspector Elisandro Quijano, CCPO Homicide Section chief, said the test on both policewomen yielded negative results, a copy of which was provided to him by the PNP Regional Crime Laboratory-7.

A reliable source, who declined to be named, said once the air-conditioning system or an electric fan in a crime scene is switched on, any paraffin test would most likely be negative.

He explained that gun powder residue usually gets scattered in the air so that no traces could be found in the hands of those who fired a gun.     

Despite the paraffin test result, Romana said Bayate is still not off the hook as up to this time investigators are still not ruling out homicide in Garcia’s death.

“Hindi pa naman natin sinasabi kung ano talaga.  Hindi naman tayo tumitigil, mayroong (We have not identified what it would be.  But we are not stopping; there is a) follow-up investigation tuloy-tuloy.  Hindi pa tayo tapos sa (It is not yet the end of the) investigation,” Romana said.

“There are instances na nagne-negative, contrary to what was expected; but there are scientific reasons behind that. But di naman tayo actually dependent sa isang forensic evidence lang,” Romana said.  (FREEMAN)