Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 14) — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is set to file charges against police officers involved in the killing of four Army Intelligence officers in Jolo, Sulu.
This was announced by Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, who said NBI agents have their initial report which included witness accounts and forensic findings, as well as affidavits from the families of the officers who died.
“The ballistic report clearly indicated that the shells and slugs found at the scene of the crime matched the firearms of the police officers involved, and that the bullet wounds were mostly on the back of the body, with one soldier sustaining eight wounds,” Guevarra said.
While Guevarra did not know when the filing would take place, he said unless the NBI intends to file a supplemental report, he expects the criminal complaint to be filed “very soon.”
“The NBI has not informed me as to what charges will be filed,” he said. “It will depend on the totality of the evidence gathered.”
Four Army officers were killed in a police operation in Jolo, Sulu on June 29.
Initial reports from the Sulu Provincial Police Office said the cops involved claimed self-defense, after the soldiers supposedly lifted and pointed their firearms first at the police. However, the Philippine National Police has ruled out the “misencounter” angle.
