An 18-year-old boy from Navotas City was mistakenly shot dead by the police during a hot pursuit operation. The victim, Jerhode Jemboy Baltazar, was on board a boat when the police mistook him for their target, Reynaldo Bolivar. The police fired shots at Baltazar when he jumped into the river. The six policemen involved in the incident are facing charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide.Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo reported
Photograph taken at the wake of Jemboy Baltazar in Manila. (Photo contributed by a third party)
An incident of mistaken identity tragically resulted in the death of an 18-year-old boy from Navotas City last week.
According to a report from the Navotas police, their officers were conducting a hot pursuit operation on August 2 in connection to a murder case when they encountered the victim, identified as Jerhode Jemboy Baltazar, who was on a boat at the time.
Believing that their target, Reynaldo Bolivar, was on board the boat, the police ordered Baltazar and his friend to surrender. However, Baltazar chose to jump into the river instead, prompting the officers to fire shots that ultimately hit the victim.
The police later admitted that Baltazar was not the suspect they were looking for, as their target was Bolivar.
The six policemen involved in the incident have been disarmed and placed under restrictive custody. They are now facing administrative and criminal charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide. (Source: SunStar Philippines)
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