16-year-old boy, companion killed in Laguna police ops; family seeks justice

Two people, one of them a minor, were killed in a police operation in  Biñan City, Laguna, on Wednesday night.

The family of 16-year-old Jhondy Maglinte Helis, however, is denying the police's claim that he fought it out with the policemen who were serving an arrest warrant.

"Ang kuwento nakarating sa akin, nakaposas na si Jhondie at nagmamakaawa siya [na] huwag patayin pero pinatay pa rin nila," Helis' aunt, Nylla Maglinte, told GMA News Online.

(I was told that Jhondie was handcuffed and begging the police not to kill him, but they still killed him.)

According to the official police report, Helis and his companion, Antonio Castillo Dalit, who is among the most wanted persons in Laguna, were killed when they shot it out with policemen who were serving an arrest warrant against Dalit for alleged violation of Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

The police said Dalit and Helis drew their firearms and fired shots against the policemen, which resulted in an armed confrontation.

A Scene of the Crime Operation team was requested for technical investigation.

At least 13 pieces of medium plastic sachets containing suspected shabu weighing more or less 50 grams worth P340,000 were recovered from the operation, the police said in its report.

Other recovered items were two unit caliber 38 revolvers, P3,500 cash in different denominations, a digital weighing scale, and several pieces of Illegal drug paraphernalia.

Nylla Maglinte said the family is asking for justice for what the police did to her nephew.

“Justice lang hiningi ko para sa pamangkin ko. Kung may mali man siya or wala hindi dapat pinatay nila. Nagmamakaawa sa kanila binaril pa rin nila nang brutal,” she said.

(I am just seeking justice for my nephew. Whether he had done something wrong or not, they should not have killed him. He was begging but they still shot him brutally.)

She pointed out that her nephew was not even the target of the police operation but Dalit.

Sought for comment, Police Lieutenant Colonel Chitaddel Gaoiran, spokesperson for Police Regional Office-4A, said the police will look into the matter and is also open to any investigation that will be conducted in connection with the killing of Helis.

"Actually po ay automatic pong may gagawing investigation ang Internal Affairs Service pag ganyan pong operasyon na may namatay para po malaman kung nasunod po ng mga pulis ang SOP at wala silang nalabag na procedure," Gaoiran also said.

(There is an automatic investigation by the Internal Affairs Service when an operation resulted in death to determine if the policemen followed proper procedures.) —LBG/KBK, GMA News