Cop’s sleeping habit kills him

A POLICEMAN’S habit of keeping his gun close to him at all times—even during bedtime—resulted in his death yesterday morning after he accidentally pulled the trigger of the service firearm he was placing beneath his pillow.

When the gun went off, it hit PO2 Elden Castillo, a member of the Caloocan City police, in the head.

He was rushed to Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival.

The accidental shooting took place around 2 a.m. yesterday inside the house of the 34-year-old policeman at Parola Compound in Tondo, Manila.

Last conversation

PO2 Rodel Benitez of the Manila Police District (MPD) homicide section said that the victim had just come home from work and was preparing to go to sleep on a cot in the living room when his sister, Donna, came in to talk to him about the groceries they were supposed to buy later in the day for their sari-sari (retail) store.

As he was lying on the cot while talking to his sister, Castillo placed his 9mm service firearm beneath his pillow.

Finger on the trigger

“While he was putting the pistol under his pillow, his elbow might have hit the wall near his cot,” the case investigator told the INQUIRER as he added that the policeman’s finger may have been on the trigger at that time.

The gun went off, hitting the victim in the head while his sister, after overcoming her initial shock, asked their neighbors for help in bringing him to the nearest hospital.

Efren Castillo, the victim’s fa- ther who is a former policeman with the rank of senior police officer 4, expressed shock over his son’s death.

He told the INQUIRER that concealing his firearm beneath his pillow had been the younger Castillo’s habit since he joined the police force in 2009.

He told the INQUIRER that the victim, the second child in a brood of three, had always wanted to be a policeman so he took up criminology in college.

Followed in dad’s footsteps

“He was the only one who followed in my footsteps,” the older Castillo said, adding that he himself used to be with the defunct Philippine Constabulary before he joined the Philippine National Police.

Efren said that he had rushed to Manila from Pangasinan province after he learned of his son’s death.

The younger policeman’s body was brought to a funeral parlor in Sta. Cruz, Manila, after the accidental shooting.

Common among cops

Benitez, meanwhile, explained that Castillo’s habit was common among most policemen.

“When we sleep, we usually ensure [that we have] easy access to our firearm. It is instinctive on our part, particularly among those of us who might have received threats while doing our duty,” he said.