'We don't want help, we want justice,' says family of Tacloban shooting victim

A day after his son's tragic death in the Tacloban school shooting, Christopher Fabian said their family has been left devastated, and wants justice more than help.

“Napakasakit pa rin, hanggang ngayon po blangko pa rin kami. Pero ayaw po namin po ng tulong, gusto po namin justice po. ‘Yun po ‘yung pinaka-gusto namin, justice,” Fabian said in an interview on “24 Oras” Tuesday.

(It is still incredibly painful. Until now, our minds are completely blank. We don’t want help, we want justice. That is what we want the most, justice.)

Fabian’s son, Chris Lorenz Fabian, was one of the three fatalities in the shooting incident at San Jose National High School on Monday.

Chris was a Grade 10 student and a Boy Scout who was captured in a viral video pushing the door in a classroom to keep the shooter from entering. He was called a “hero.”

The Philippine National Police identified the shooters as “Rod” a 15-year-old Grade 9 student and “Nash” a 14-year-old Grade 10 student.

Under Republic Act No. 9344, or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, children aged 15 and below are exempt from criminal liability. However, the Fabian family is demanding that someone must be held accountable.

“Halimbawa kung hindi man sila mapanagutan, ‘yung magulang na lang. Kasi saan ba makakakuha ng baril yan kung hindi tinuruan?” Fabian said.

(If they cannot be held responsible, then the parents should be. After all, where else would he get a gun if he wasn't taught how to use it.)

Fabian said it looked like Rod and Nash knew how to use guns, adding that he thinks the incident was premeditated.

“Para bang pinaghandaan na po… Opo ‘yung ginawa po nila na, nakaready na po kasi nakalagay na Monday, Monday na, ‘yun na po ‘yon na may gagawin na po sila,” he said.

(It feels like it was planned... Yes, what they did was already prepared. Because it was set for Monday—Monday came, and that was it, they were ready to carry out their plan.)

According to the PNP, the 15-year-old shooter is considered as “above 15” because the days past his 15th year are included in the count. The PNP stated that he will undergo a regular trial if the Department of Social Welfare and Development determines that he acted with discernment.

The 14-year-old shooter will be mandatorily placed in a DSWD child protection facility due to the gravity of the offense, the PNP said.

Authorities found out that one of the two firearms used in the incident was a 9mm Glock pistol issued to a Police Regional Office 8 female officer. She was the aunt of one of the suspects and has been placed under restrictive custody.

Meanwhile, the other weapon, a .38 caliber revolver, was traced to a security agency in Cebu City. —Lyjah Tiffany Bonzo/LDF, GMA News