Cebu City (CNN Philippines, March 23) — The family of the suspect in a road-rage incident in Cebu City is offering ₱300,000 to anyone who can produce a full-length copy of the dashcam video that shows more of what happened during the altercation.
In a Wednesday statement, Orlando Salatandre Jr. — lawyer of the road rage suspect businessman David Lim, Jr. — said the video showing Lim shooting nurse Ephraim Nuñal was edited.
He said the unedited version of the video will give a more complete understanding of what transpired during the Sunday dawn incident at a road in Barangay Kamputhaw.
Read: Alleged drug lord’s nephew charged over road rage incident
Lim was reportedly driving his Mercedes-Benz erratically and suddenly stopped in the middle of the road, prompting Nuñal to honk his horn at the suspect.
Lim got out of his car and exchanged harsh words with Nuñal. He then went back to his car, took out a .22-caliber pistol, then shot Nuñal thrice. The victim was hit in the left thigh and right ankle, after which Lim fled the scene.
Lim surrendered to police before dawn Tuesday and has been charged with frustrated homicide and illegal possession of firearms. He is detained at the Cebu City Police Office awaiting the resolution of the inquest proceedings from the Prosecutors Office.
Meanwhile, Nuñal is recuperating at the hospital.
Salatandre said whoever has the full video can submit or show it to any media organization and the family will get in touch with the video’s owner.
He added the family only wants the truth to come out.
Self-defense
Salatandre said Tuesday his client felt threated by Nuñal and his two companions, who were not shown in the video.
“And these guys are bigger than the suspect,” he said in an interview. “There can be a compelling reason for (Lim) to stage anything.”
Salatandre said Lim shot Nuñal in self-defense and had no intent to kill — and proof of this is that the shots were aimed at the victim’s legs.
Delays
Meanwhile, Salatandre also questioned the delays in the assigned prosecutor’s release of the information, needed for the court charges to be filed against his client.
The case against Lim was filed at 3 p.m. Tuesday. Salatandre said they expected the process to be done in 30 minutes, thus allowing them to immediately post bail for Lim.
But as of 5 p.m. Wednesday, no information and recommendation were made by Assistant Prosecutor Maria Theresa Casiño.
Salatandre said Casiño was at a forum on Wednesday morning and afternoon, which delayed the submission of the information.
On the other hand, Casino said the delays were not because of the forum, but because the staff are still reviewing the paperwork.
She also said she is reviewing prior cases as she deals with these “on a first-come, first-served” basis.
She also shrugged off insinuations that there are officials trying to contact her about the case.
“No one talked to me because I will not entertain (such discussions),” Casino said.
Alleged special treatment
The insinuations came after Police Regional Office 7 Chief Supt. Noli Taliño said Tuesday, that Lim surrendered after his mother, Bebong Lim, contacted the Special Assistant to the President Bong Go.
“Tinext nila Sec. Bong Go that they are willing to surrender their son si David Lim Jr. and I was directed by the chief PNP to call Sec. Bong Go regarding this. Sec. Bong Go instructed me to coordinate with the mother of David Lim, Jr.,” he said in a Tuesday press conference.
Taliño said he assured Lim’s family that he will be kept safe, but that there were no bargains or other considerations made for his surrender.
Taliño denied that Lim will be getting special treatment because of direct contact with Go.
