Another worker also wounded: Cop shoots restobar waiter to death

CEBU, Philippines - A "drunk" police official reportedly shot a waiter dead and rendered a restobar worker wounded yesterday night near Tamiya in Barangay Basak, Lapu-Lapu City.

The suspect was identified as Police Inspector Rogelio Amoroso of Lapu-Lapu City Police Office who works in the operations group inside the LCPO headquarters.

The two victims were John Stephen Lagsanay, 18, who works as a waiter, and Archie Gesta, 37, who is a bouncer at Lotus Restobar.

Police records said the shooting happened around 1 o'clock in the morning.

According to Police Officer 3 Luisito Ernie, investigator at the LCPO Homicide Section, Amoroso was stopped from the entrance of the bar by Gesta and was asked to surrender his firearm before going inside the bar.

Verbal arguments between the two then ensued.

Accounts said Amoroso was seen going back to his car and then to the entrance area where the bouncer was staying, and immediately pulled a trigger at Gesta hitting his stomach.

Police report also said Amoroso then went inside the bar and shot the waiter Lagsanay in the neck first, then head, leaving him dead.

The suspect who is now at an LCPO detention cell admitted that he was highly intoxicated with alcohol at the time of accident.

Based on the accounts of the police official-turned-suspect, they were there to unwind since he was off from work together with his three police friends and two civilian acquaintances who were sitting at a table inside the restobar.

Inside the bar, Amoroso narrated, a waiter accidentally bumped on him. After the waiter allegedly hit him, Amoroso, who consumed more than four glasses of alcohol, told the waiter to 'be careful' aloud since the bar was playing full-blast music.

The waiter complained to the bouncer Gesta that he was reprimanded by Amoroso. Gesta then went near Amoroso and the argument happened.

The bouncer gripped the arms of the police official and was head-locked, according to the report. The waiter punched him on the face twice, it added.

It was at this moment that Amoroso took the gun from his car and went back to shoot the victims.

Lagsanay was immediately brought to the Mactan Doctors' Hospital but was declared dead on arrival while Gesta is being treated at Vicente Sotto Memorial Hospital.

After the shooting scene, Amoroso walked from Lotus Restobar to Mandaue City and surrendered personally to Superintendent Rodulfo Albotra of Provincial Intelligence Branch in Cebu City.

The suspect was reported to be a close friend of Albotra who resides in Mandaue City.

Amoroso has been working for the Philippine National Police for 12 years and claimed to be "divorced" from his wife.

Police Superintendent Jonathan Abella, deputy city director for administration at LCPO, said the restobar has a closed-circuit television and will use its footages in their investigation.

Abella said Amoroso will be charged with frustrated homicide followed by a homicide case. (FREEMAN)