Quezon City cop tagged in Caloocan cop's slay arrested

MANILA, Philippines - A Quezon City police officer tagged in the killing of a Caloocan City policeman during a street brawl Saturday was arrested in a hospital Monday night.

Caloocan police chief Senior Superintendent Jude Santos said Police Officer 1 Estephen Hernandez, 31, of the Quezon City Police District mobile patrol unit, was charged with murder and frustrated murder before the office of Caloocan City prosecutor Darwin Canete.

He is currently detained at the Caloocan City police station detention cell with a recommended bail of P200,000 for frustrated murder and no bail for the case of murder.

At around 2:30 a.m. Saturday, Police Officer 2 Rex Azusano, assigned at the Caloocan City police station Tactical Operation Center, encountered Hernandez along MacArthur Highway near Monumento in Caloocan City.

Senior Inspector Ronald Perilla, Caloocan City police intelligence and investigation chief, said Azusano – riding a motorcycle with security guard John Schmidt, 43 – stopped by the area to pacify a commotion.

But Hernandez, allegedly one of the troublemakers, shot at Azusano and Schmidt. Azusano suffered five bullet wounds in different parts of the body and died on the spot while Schmidt was hit in the back and is still confined at the MCU hospital.

Interviewed by The STAR, Hernandez said he came from a birthday party in Malabon aboard his motorcycle when he sideswiped the motorcycle of the victims running in the opposite direction along MacArthur Highway.

Both vehicles stopped and Hernandez said he introduced himself as a policeman but instead Azusano allegedly alighted from his motorcycle and pistol-whipped him.

He said he tried to evade the attack but Azusano shot him in the right thigh, forcing him to shoot back.

“I was already wounded so I fired back. After the encounter I ran away, leaving my motorcycle behind. I hired a taxi that brought me to the hospital in Quezon City,” Hernandez said.

Perilla, however, said they failed to recover Hernandez’s motorcycle at the crime scene. He said his men recovered Azusano’s .9mm pistol, loaded with eight bullets, as well as nine .9mm shells and two magazines.

When asked about his motorcycle’s license plate number, Hernandez could not remember “but it was an orange Kawasaki,” he said.

A paraffin test conducted by the Northern Police District crime lab on Azusano showed that he is “negative of gunpowder burns.”

Perilla advised Hernandez yesterday to hire a good lawyer, saying “we have nothing personal here, we are just doing our job.”   – With Reinir Padua