12-year-old girl killed in GenSan police operation

A 12-year-old girl was killed during a police operation that ended in a shootout in Barangay Labangal, General Santos City.

According to Jun Veneracion’s Tuesday report on “24 Oras,” authorities allegedly continued firing inside a residential area despite pleas from residents to stop, citing the presence of children.

Police were serving a warrant on a suspect inside a house in Purok Pandian on Saturday when the man reportedly fired his weapon over a family dispute.

The exchange of gunfire stopped after the suspect, a 42-year-old mechanic, was hit and declared dead on the spot.

However, a 12-year-old girl was later found lying under a bed in a nearby house, struck by a stray bullet believed to have come from the suspect’s .45-caliber firearm.

According to the victim’s grandmother, the Grade 4 student had taken cover under the bed with other children during the shootout when she was hit in the head, with the bullet exiting through her neck.

The victim’s family is seeking justice following her death, which occurred after she was brought to the hospital.

“Hindi namin matanggap ang pagkamatay ng aking apo (We cannot accept the death of my grandchild),” the victim’s mother said.

“Di ba ang pulis to serve and protect? Di ba? So dapat, pag ganyan pa lang na may bata, hindi sana sila magpaputok para makatakbo nang malayo ang suspek,” another relative said.

(Aren’t the police supposed to serve and protect? If there was a child there, they shouldn’t have fired so the suspect could have run farther away.)

The General Santos City Police said it is taking all necessary steps to ensure the safety of residents during operations.

It also said it will investigate whether responding officers exercised due diligence in protecting civilians, given that the incident occurred in a residential area.

The three responding police officers have surrendered their firearms for forensic examination.

However, Police Regional Office 12 said initial findings suggest the bullet that struck the victim may have come from the suspect’s firearm based on its trajectory.

The Philippine National Police Internal Affairs Service has launched a motu proprio investigation to determine whether negligence occurred on the part of the responding officers.

Meanwhile, the Commission on Human Rights is coordinating with the National Bureau of Investigation to ensure an impartial ballistic examination.—MCG, GMA News