Cop faces complaint for allegedly shooting man during scuffle

A police officer is under investigation for allegedly shooting a man while off-duty during a scuffle in Barangay Greater Lagro, Quezon City.

In a statement released on Thursday, the city government said that Police Senior Master Sergeant Chester Garchitorena is facing charges of grave misconduct before the Quezon City People’s Law Enforcement Board (PLEB) over an incident on February 18, 2022.

Based on his complaint filed on March 18, 2022, Florose Buenafe said he and his friends were drinking on Haring Constantino St. when a sedan carrying Garchitorena’s associates arrived.

Out of nowhere, Garchitorena’s friends started a melee while the policeman served as lookout while in his parked vehicle nearby.

When the brawl started, Garchitorena called the Barangay Public Safety Officers (BPSO) and walked with them to the place of the scuffle.

A member of the BPSO witnessed Garchitorena shoot Buenafe in his left leg during the altercation.

Lawyer Rafael Calinisan, PLEB Executive Officer, said they found probable cause against Garchitorena for using a gun while off-duty, which is a violation of the Commission on Elections’ gun ban.

Calinisan said violation of the Omnibus Elections Code constitutes grave misconduct under Napolcom Memorandum Circular 2016 – 002.

“We will hear this case and will resolve it with fairness and immediacy,” he said.

“Sa QC ang pulis ay mabuti [In QC the police are good]. They are our partners in community building. Nagkataon lang na may nabubulok na kamatis, dapat natin silang panagutin [It just so happens that there are rotten tomatoes, we must hold them accountable],” Calinisan added.

Meanwhile, QC Mayor Joy Belmonte expressed dismay over the incident.

“I am frustrated to hear that some of our police officers take part in incidents that disturb the peace of our city,” she stressed. — Mel Matthew Doctor/BM, GMA News