A policeman shot to death a construction worker in Pampanga on Saturday night after the former mistakenly thought that the latter was a thief.
Corporal Eframe Ramirez has been disarmed and placed under restrictive custody by his superiors after he killed the victim Federico Pineda Jr. near a cockpit in the village of San Matias in Santa Rita town.
Read: #EndPoliceBrutality: Cop surrenders after killing unarmed mother and son in Tarlac
The victim was onboard his motorcycle when Ramirez, who was chasing after a robber, spotted Pineda and thought he was the suspect. Ramirez told Pineda to stop his vehicle, but the latter allegedly did not follow his order, prompting the cop to “accidentally” shoot the victim. Pineda was brought to a hospital for treatment but he was declared dead on arrival.
The victim’s sister Michelle Pagauisan told The Philippine Daily Inquirer that her brother attended his daughter’s birthday party before the incident occurred. He left the event because he decided to fetch his uncle, who lived near the crime scene. Pineda was reportedly wearing the same color of T-shirt that the robber was wearing. Pineda also entered the cockpit arena, just like the suspect, because it was a shortcut to his uncle’s house.
Ramirez is currently being investigated for his role in Pineda’s death. He will face criminal and administrative charges if found guilty.
The crime occurred as the public grows increasingly distrustful of the police after a cop shot to death his neighbors in Tarlac last month for allegedly using a bamboo canon during a celebration.
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