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Police
are now hunting for a fellow policeman who shot dead
inside the PNP Cortes headquarters a drunken man Monday
night.
The
suspect is one Police Officer-2 Apolinar Galapin y Moring,
37, a native of Candijay but now residing in Cortes
town. He is also police investigator of the Cortes police
station.
According
to PO1 Ranillo Lomonsod, PO2 Galapin together with SPO1
Nicolito Longgakit responded to a call from the Barangay
De La Paz tanod outpost around 11 p.m. regarding a drunk
man with two lady companions who were also intoxicated.
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The
responding policemen brought the three suspects to the Cortes
PNP Station.
PO1
Lomonsod said he noticed PO2 Galapin, who was himself drunk,
had an altercation with the intoxicated victim, later identified
as one Leo Lagrada, 29, a resident of barangay De La Paz,
when they entered the police station.
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The
heated exchange between PO2 Galapin and Lagrada continued
until the two other policemen went out of the station.
According
to PO1 Lomonsod, he was talking to the two female companions
of Lagrada when he heard a single gunshot coming from
the police office.
PO1
Lomonsod went into the police office where he saw Lagrada
sprawled on the floor.
Meanwhile,
PO2 Galapin immediately left the police station as PO1
Lomonsod and SP01 Longgakit lifted the victim who sustained
a gunshot wound on the chest.
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The
victim was rushed to the Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial
Regional Hospital were he expired a few minutes after.
Lagrada,
reportedly a cousin of former Cong. Eladio Jala, was hit by
a single 9 millimeter round which exited through his stomach.
Bohol
Police Director SSupt. Edgardo Ingking told the Chronicle
yesterday that police have established that PO2 Galapin was
the one who shot Lagrada.
Ingking
said the policeman is now a subject of a manhunt as the provincial
police chief instructed all stations to personally bring PO2
Galapin to his office when arrested.
"PO2
Galapin is a suspect, I am urging him to surrender immediately
so that his case will not aggravate," Ingking said.
Ingking
added that the policeman will definitely be charged but they
still have to determine whether the case is murder or homicide
as "there are still many questions" surrounding
the arrest of Lagrada and how he was handled by the Cortes
PNP.
"We
have to establish the circumstances whether the victim was
restrained during the arrest and why the use of firearm was
resorted," according to Ingking, since the use of firearm
against an arrested person is "a last recourse under
the doctrine of self defense."
UNRULY
COP
According
to his fellow policemen, PO2 Galapin had been transferred
to the Cortes police station two years ago due to his unruly
behavior.
In
fact, he has a pending case for frustrated murder and serious
physical injuries which is due for hearing tomorrow.
One
policeman assigned at the Cortes PNP told the Chronicle that
PO2 Galapin has a habit of discharging his firearm everytime
he is drunk.
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