Pasay probers eye mistaken identity in boy’s killing

MANILA, Philippines — Pasay police investigators have broadened their probe of the killing of a 13-year-old boy last Sunday to include the possibility that the assailant may have mistaken him for someone else, an official said yesterday.

Initial investigation showed Jayross Brondial was sitting on a chair in front of his house when an unidentified motorcycle-riding man shot him just before 3 p.m., said Senior Superintendent Dionisio Bartolome, city police chief.

The actual target of the attack was another person who was sitting in the same chair but left before the assailant arrived, reports said.

Records show one of Brondial’s brothers was killed in an alleged shootout with Makati police early this year while another brother is detained in a Cavite jail on charges of armed robbery.

Brondial’s mother, Rosanna, who believes her son’s death was a case of mistaken identity, said her son was never involved in illegal activities, according to philstar.com.

Brondial’s death came after three other teenagers were killed in drug-related incidents.