Policeman's gun goes off, injures female cop

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — A female policeman was injured following an alleged accidental firing Tuesday evening at their headquarters of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 6 at Barangay Jibolo in Janiuay, Iloilo.

Police Officer 1 Kimberly Hope Bendita, 32, of La Paz district in Iloilo City, sustained injury on the right back portion of her waist.

Senior Inspector John Paul Guay, Janiuay Police chief, identified the suspect as 29-year-old PO1 John Rey Oquila, Bendita's fellow policeman at the RFMB-6, and a native of Cadiz City in Negros Occidental.

Oquila was allegedly holding on to his newly issued M16 armalite rifle and went into familiarizing himself about the gun's features. He then unloaded the rifle's magazine and pulled the triggered.

To Oquila’s surprise, the gun went off because he failed to check if it has a chamber load. The bullet apparently hit a clothes line before hitting the ground. A bullet's fragment then ricocheted hitting Bendita who was resting on a hammock outside their living quarters.

Bendita was rushed to the hospital and is now in stable condition. Oquila, on the other hand, is now in custody of the Janiuay Police Station.

Reports said Bendita might not pursue criminal charges against the suspect, who will still be placed under administrative investigation.