A 20-year-old man was killed after being shot by a soldier who allegedly drank alcohol in Mauban, Quezon. The victim allegedly just greeted the suspect and his companions, who were drinking at the bar owned by his parents.
The Mauban Municipal Police Station identified the suspect as Private First Class Melvin Añonuevo, assigned to the 59th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army in Mauban.
His two fellow soldiers, John Denver Allao, and Rolito Cornel, were also arrested.
The three are facing murder complaints connected with the death of victim Jayr Lasquites.
Based on the police investigation, Sunday night, April 10, the suspects had a drink at the bar just in front of the victim’s family house in Barangay Polo.
The victim allegedly left the house around 9:00 pm with two friends. When they passed the bar owned by his parents, Lasquites greeted the suspects.
But Añonuevo allegedly got angry, asked the victim “anong problems (what’s the problem),” and shot the young man who was about to run.
A friend would have approached him when the victim fell, but the suspect allegedly pointed a gun at him.
The victim was only taken to the hospital when the three fled, but he lost his life.
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Drunk soldier allegedly shoots dead man who greeted him
The identities of the three were determined, and they were immediately arrested. The victim’s friend also positively identified them as being with him when the crime occurred.
According to Lasquites’ mother, her only child was very welcoming and friendly.
The three suspects who are now detained at the police station refused to give a statement.
In June 2021, the hashtag #PulisAngTerorista led Philippine Twitter trends, with netizens condemning the state’s uniformed law enforcers for sowing “fear” in communities.
This was after a drunk police officer shot dead a 52-year-old woman in Quezon City.
Several internet users also dismissed assertions that these were exceptional instances of police brutality, recalling how Interior Secretary Eduardo Ao defended the police following the Tarlac incident in 2020.
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