Cop's warning shots kill girl, 12, in Pasig

To hold off an angry mob, a police officer from the Eastern Police District fired warning shots Saturday but the bullets hit and killed a 12-year-old Grade 6 pupil and wounded a market vendor.

EPD director Chief Superintendent Leon Nilo de la Cruz placed the suspect, PO3 Gerardo Javier, 32, under arrest and disarmed him of his service firearm.

“There will be no whitewash in the investigation of the incident,” De la Cruz assured the parents and relatives of the victim, Rodalyn Ferrer. “Let the ax fall where it may.”

Initial investigation showed that prior to the incident, Javier, assigned at the operations and plans division of the EPD, and a male motorcyclist were involved in a petty traffic spat in Barangay Pinagbuhatan at about 10 p.m. Saturday.

Reports reaching De la Cruz showed that Javier ran after the motorcyclist and caught up with him along Agustin St. and confronted him. It appeared, however, that a gathered crowd at a nearby wake knew the male motorcyclist and they rushed to help him against Javier. At this juncture, Javier took out his issued caliber 9mm pistol and fired in the air to ward off the angry crowd.

It was not yet known how Ferrer, a resident of San Agustin St., Bolante 11, barangay Pinagbuhatan, was hit in the head.

She died on the spot.

A neighbor, Edwin Tangcuangco, 49, was hit in the left shoulder and was rushed to the nearest hospital for treatment. Javier escaped the wrath of the angry mob.

But De la Cruz vowed to file appropriate charges against him for the killing of Ferrer and the wounding of Tangcuangco.

Javier surrendered to Superintendent Marner Dasayan, duty officer of the EPD, hours after the incident.

The suspect was turned over to the custody of the Pasig City police, where he is presently detained.