Manila cop in road rage shooting surrenders

MANILA, Philippines - A Manila policeman surrendered to authorities Thursday night after learning that he was identified as the gunman who shot dead a seafarer following a traffic altercation in Ermita, Manila Wednesday morning.

Senior Police Officer 3 Vidal Bolaños, 52, a member of the Intramuros police community precinct, surrendered to Ermita police station chief Superintendent Frumencio Bernal.

Homicide section chief Senior Inspector Joey de Ocampo said Bolaños faces murder charges for shooting Danilo Gray, 34, of Las Piñas City, who died from a single gunshot wound in the chest.

Gray was driving his Toyota Vios car (VDZ-443) when his vehicle was rear-ended by Bolaños’ car, a Mitsubishi GLXI Lancer (UEC-374) at the corner of M.H. del Pilar and Salas streets in Ermita.

Witnesses said a man who introduced himself as a policeman, got mad when Gray’s companion tried to take photos of the car’s damages, shot Gray and drove off.

In an interview, Bolaños said he was forced to shoot the victim because his companions ganged up on him.

He said he threw away the murder weapon, a locally assembled .45 caliber pistol, somewhere in Manila Bay.

Records at the Land Transportation Office showed that Milagros Alvarez is the registered owner of the vehicle driven by the suspect. But Alvarez said she already sold the car to Bolaños for P70,000 early this year.