Cops in Kian...
“The wheels of justice will turn now… run its course,” Acosta told reporters after the filing of the complaint.
“We hope this will be resolved expeditiously by the DOJ for not more than 60 days from today,” she added.
Tagged as a drug runner, Kian was killed by policemen in his neighborhood in Barangay 160, Caloocan City on the August 16 during an antiillegal drugs operation. But Barangay 160 officials said Kian was not on their drug watch list.
Police also claimed Kian was killed after he allegedly resisted arrest and fired at the lawmen. But the Northern Police District (NPD) Crime Laboratory said Kian was tested negative for gunpowder nitrates, an indication he did not fire a gun.
Based on autopsies conducted by the PAO and the NPD Crime Laboratory, the two gunshot wounds sustained by Kian in the head were all fired from behind, with their trajectories all downward. This indicates that Kian was shot while the student was already down on the ground, authorities said.
Acosta also noted that PAO probers found a third gunshot wound in Kian’s body, the slug hitting his lungs.
Kian’s family disputed the claims of police that Kian resisted arrest and tried firing a handgun. They believe the .45 caliber pistol and two sachets of shabu found in his possession were planted.
Faith in justice system The grieving family of the Grade 11 student on Friday said they continue to trust that justice would be served, holding own to the recent statements of President Duterte that he will not tolerate abuses of policemen as well as the support of various groups.
“Umaasa pa rin po kami na mabibigyan ng hustisya ang kalunoslunos na nangyari sa pamangkin ko kahit ganoon ang sinabi ni Sec. (Vitaliano) Aguirre. Pinanghahawakan po namin ang sinabi ni Pangulong Duterte na hindi niya kukunsintihin ang mga pulis (In spite of what Sec. Aguirre said, we are still hoping that justice over the pitiful death of my nephew. We are holding on the words of President Duterte that he will not tolerate the policemen),” Randy delos Santos, Kian’s uncle, said.
“Isa rin pong dahilan kaya positibo kaming makakamtan ang hustisya ay dahil sa tulong at suporta na nakukuha naming mula sa iba’t ibang grupo (One of the reasons we are optimistic is the outpouring of support from various groups),” he added.
Acosta likewise expressed confidence there is a strong case against the respondents.
“Malakas because of the help of the CCTV (It is strong because of the footage from closed circuit television cameras),” she said.
“There are witnesses that we presented today,” added Acosta, who noted they have so far three witnesses, including a certain “Choleng” who saw policemen dragging Kian that fateful night.
“Mayroon pa kaming isang cellphone video mismo ng eyewitness (We also have video footage taken from a mobile phone). We might be retrieving the footages, whatever footages are there,” she added.
The PAO chief also hopes to get the testimonies of other witnesses taken by Sen. Risa Hontiveros. They are now in Senate custody.
“We hope that the Senate, Sen. (Panfilo) Ping Lacson, will turn over today to DOJ (the witnesses) para matapos itong preliminary investigation (so the preliminary investigation will be concluded),” Acosta said.
Apart from the criminal complaints, Acosta said administrative complaints will be filed before the National Police Commission (Napolcom) against the four policemen.
“Baka next week pumunta kami ng Napolcom for the admin (Next week, we might file the administrative complaints before the Napol- com),” Acosta told reporters.
Social media posts
Meanwhile, relieved Caloocan police chief Senior Supt. Chito Bersaluna on Thursday admitted before members of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs that they validated the involvement of the slain teenager in illegal drug trade through reports that surfaced in social media websites.
Bersaluna said they learned of Kian’s involvement in illegal drugs only after he was slain.
“Actually, when the report was relayed to me during the night of August 16, when there was the encounter, the identity of the suspect was not yet revealed,” Bersaluna said.
“We only happened to know the involvement of the late Kian (in drugs) because of alias ‘Nono’ who revealed the activities of Kian,” he explained.
Bersaluna said they accused Kian as a drug courier based on the allegations of Nono, a drug suspect arrested a day after the 17-year-old student’s death.
Asked by Senator Emmanuel Pacquiao how they confirmed the information, Bersaluna said: “We based sa mga lumalabas na social media na may nagsasabi. Yun lang po ang basis namin,” prompting senators to raise eyebrows.
Bersaluna, however, stood by his explanation that he only reported what was relayed to him by Police Community Precinct-7 commander Chief Inspector Amor Cerillo, who has jurisdiction in Barangay 160, and head of the three policemen who operated on the victim. Northern Police District director Chief Supt. Roberto Fajardo, who was also sacked over command responsibility, likewise insisted that Delos Santos was a drug courier. “After ng incident, we have to check the background … Chineck na lang po namin after (the operation),” he said in support of his men.
Senate Minority Floor Leader Franklin Drilon, dismayed with the policemen’s admission, said Delos Santos’ involvement in illegal drugs does not justify his death.
“Whether or not Kian was a courier is beside the point. We are probing if this is a summary killing,” he said.
Drilon asked the Senate panel not to focus on Delos Santos’ being a supposed drug courier “because he can no longer defend himself” from the allegations.
Senator Joel Villanueva, for his part, also warned the policemen for basing their intelligence reports from social media.
Following Kian’s death last week, several social media users, alleged the slain teenager was “notorious” for illegal drug activities in his area. The user, mostly on Facebook, lashed out at media and some senators for altering Delos Santos’ image as a good child. (With reports from Jel santos and Vanne Elaine P. Terrazola)